Before leaving for his third World Baseball Classic, Paul Goldschmidt offered a simple, personal reason for participating. “It’s maybe the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball.’’

At long last, the World Baseball Classic has arrived.

Star power: Daisuke Matsuzaka – one year away from making the leap from Japan to the Boston Red Sox for a total commitment of $103 million – won all three of his starts, giving up three earned runs in...