DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA — Hideki Matsui went hitless in his minor league debut on Tuesday.The 37-year-old, who recently signed a minor-league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, batted fourth as the Triple-A Durham Bulls' designated hitter against Pawtucket. He struck out once in four at-bats."The level of pitching was higher than I've seen so far," said Matsui, who has appeared only in practice games. "Physically, I felt good and didn't have any trouble seeing the ball."Matsui arrived at the park in Durham 2? hours before game time from Toronto, where he completed getting his visa. He had taken part in four practice games from May 9. His Durham debut marked his first official game since Sept. 28, when he was with the Oakland Athletics."As far as my conditioning goes, I'm OK," he said. "But as far as my play goes, it's going to take a few games before I really know. I am aiming to get called up to the majors as soon as possible, so I need to produce (here)."
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