MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Injury forces Ramirez to withdraw from series in Japan

He has a sore left hamstring and had to come out of Game 3 of the series .
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOKYO -- World Series MVP Manny Ramirez has pulled out of Major League Baseball's tour of Japan because of a sore left hamstring.
The Boston slugger had been bothered by soreness in his left hamstring since arriving in Japan. He was the designated hitter in the opening game of the series Friday. He sat out Game 2 on Saturday and came out midway through Game 3 on Sunday.
"I tried to play to the end," Ramirez said. "But I decided it's best for me to return now and rest. I regret not being able to participate till the end of the tour and had a great time here."
Ramirez was examined by doctors traveling with the major league team and was advised it would be best not to take any chances.
Ramirez left Japan this afternoon on a flight bound for Chicago. Along with teammate David Ortiz, Ramirez was the biggest draw on the tour. It was his second trip to Japan as part of a major league tour.
Before Game 3 on Sunday, Ramirez took part in a home run derby along with Hank Blalock of the Texas Rangers. The two major leaguers lost 6-4 to Japanese players Hitoshi Tamura and Akinori Iwamura.
The teams next play in Fukuoka on Tuesday before traveling to Osaka, Sapporo and Nagoya. The series ends Nov. 14 in Tokyo.
Schilling surgery
BOSTON -- Curt Schilling will have surgery Tuesday on his injured right ankle.
The Red Sox ace was examined by doctors on Sunday. The exam had been pushed back twice the past two days because of scheduling conflicts.
Schilling has a torn tendon sheath in his right ankle that hobbled him during his first start of the AL championship series against the New York Yankees. At first, doctors thought his season was over, but Dr. Bill Morgan stitched his tendon in place so it didn't flop over the ankle bone.
With blood seeping through his sock, Schilling defeated the Yankees 4-2 in Game 6, then helped Boston sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series with a victory in Game 2.
Schilling will need six weeks of rest and six weeks of rehabilitation, so any delays could cause him to miss the start of spring training.