SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Royals left-hander Danny Duffy made his final Cactus League start Sunday before he leaves for the World Baseball Classic and the United States team Thursday.
It's finally sinking in to Duffy that he soon will be pitching for his country.
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"I've had to marinate on that for a while," Duffy said. "It's a huge honor. It's an incredible feeling to wear USA on your chest. It's a big deal. I'm taking pride in that. I can't wait."
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Duffy is scheduled to pitch March 12 against Canada.
"I just got word I'll pitch in the following rounds, too, due to a couple of injuries on the team," Duffy said.
The World Baseball Classic runs from Monday through March 22. In the U.S., games will air live exclusively in English on MLB Network and on an authenticated basis via MLBNetwork.com/watch, while ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN will provide the exclusive Spanish-language coverage. MLB.TV Premium subscribers in the U.S. will have access to watch every tournament game live on any of the streaming service's 400-plus supported devices. The tournament will be distributed internationally across all forms of television, internet, mobile and radio in territories excluding the U.S., Puerto Rico and Japan. Get tickets for games at Marlins Park, Tokyo Dome, Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Mexico, Petco Park, as well as the Championship Round at Dodger Stadium, while complete coverage -- including schedules, video, stats and gear -- is available at WorldBaseballClassic.com.

Duffy will have one more simulated game with the Royals before he leaves.
On Sunday, Duffy worked three innings against the Giants, gave up four hits and two runs, and struck out two. He threw 43 pitches, 30 for strikes.
"I'm not upset about the runs," Duffy said. "I felt the ball was jumping out of my hand. I don't know how hard I was throwing but I thought it was coming out pretty good."