Dodgers 11 – Mets 9

VERO BEACH – The Mets were not going to rush Kaz Matsui. So when they approached him yesterday morning to check on his status, they essentially made it his call whether he felt well enough to take the field at shortstop.

“I’m ready to play,” Matsui said.

And so in the Mets’ 14th game of the spring, they finally unveiled their much-ballyhooed shortstop import. Matsui, who had been battling a lacerated right middle fingertip for over two weeks and been solely DH’ing, played short yesterday for the first time.

Wouldn’t you know it – in the process, he enjoyed his best and most complete game of the spring.

In the Mets’ 11-9 loss to the Dodgers, Matsui played 4 ½ innings, smacking his first homer, ripping a double, scoring two runs and handling both plays in the field flawlessly.

And to think the 28-year-old actually had a few butterflies in pregame.

“To be honest, I was a little nervous at first,” Matsui admitted. “This was my first day as a shortstop. It was a special atmosphere, a special feeling.”

Said manager Art Howe: “He had a good day. He looked comfortable out there.”

And best of all, Matsui felt comfortable, reporting that his finger was “no problem whatsoever.”

Hey, the way Met players are falling victim to injuries these days, that news was like Pavarotti to the club’s ears.

“It’s getting better every day,” Matsui said.

On Sunday, Matsui pronounced his health at approximately 60 percent capacity, and he did not want to place a percentage on his wellness yesterday. But he certainly looked pretty healthy. After striking out against Dodger RHP Tanyon Sturtze to open the game, Matsui got his revenge in the third.

Batting from the left side, he took a Sturtze pitch – Matsui could not confirm what kind of pitch it was, though it appeared to be a fastball – and drove it over the wall.

Over the left field wall.

“It’s kind of rare for me,” Matsui said of his opposite-field blast. “But hitting it to the opposite field with a heavier major-league ball is a really big thing for me.”

Matsui was so excited about the homer that he acquired the ball from the fan who retrieved it, swapping an autographed ball for the gopher one. The last time Matsui kept a ball was last year in Japan when he hit his 150th career homer.

In the fifth inning, Matsui continued to hit, this time lining a double down the right-field line off reliever Paul Shuey. But the shortstop also impressed defensively. Matsui only got two balls hit to him, but he handled both.

The first play came in the second inning, when Jolbert Cabrera hit a routine grounder to Matsui, who threw him out at first.

Then with a runner on first in the third inning, Jason Romano grounded to short. Matsui gobbled the ball up, flipped to Victor Diaz at second for the force and watched Diaz fire to first to complete the double play.

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Kaz Matsui debuted at shortstop for Mets yesterday. Here’s how he did:

* Home run

* Double

* 2 runs scored

* 2-for-3 at plate

* Fields two grounders cleanly – one to start a double play