It was one and done for Johnny Damon, Dontrelle Willis and many major-league stars headed to the World Baseball Classic.

Damon doubled on his first swing in pinstripes and singled on his next Thursday as the New York Yankees opened their exhibition schedule with a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in Tampa, Fla.

A few hours later, he was gone.

Even before the game was over, the Yankees’ new center fielder and leadoff hitter departed along with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Al Leiter to join up with the United States team gathering in Phoenix for the first World Baseball Classic.

“It’s going to be strange without them,” New York manager Joe Torre said.

The 16-nation tournament runs from Thursday night until March 20, and players participating won’t return to their big league clubs until after it’s over or their national teams are eliminated.

Bernie Williams, set to join Puerto Rico’s squad today in Port St. Lucie, kidded Jeter, softly chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” as he walked by the Yankees’ captain in the clubhouse.

In Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Willis ran wind sprints on the warning track following his first start of spring training, then returned to the dugout to shake hands with every Marlins teammate and coach while bidding them goodbye.

Coming off a 22-10 season, the effervescent left-hander allowed one run in 22â3 innings of Florida’s 6-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. He left the ballpark before the game ended, racing to the airport to catch a flight to Phoenix, and is slated to start the second game for the U.S. team Wednesday against Canada.

“I’m excited,” Willis said. “There’s no bigger honor than to represent my country.”

In other spring-training games:

Twins 6, Red Sox 3

At Fort Myers, Fla., Torii Hunter homered on the first pitch he saw from Boston right-hander Jonathan Papelbon. Joe Mauer and Lew Ford each hit a solo shot for Minnesota, which got two shutout innings from Johan Santana and Carlos Silva before they head to the World Baseball Classic with Venezuela.

Pirates 9, Nationals 1

At Viera, Fla., Ramon Ortiz struggled with his control during his first outing with Washington but lasted three innings.

Tigers 8, Reds 5

At Lakeland, Fla., Detroit leadoff hitter Ivan Rodriguez homered in his first at-bat and finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs.

Devil Rays 9, Blue Jays 5

At Dunedin, Fla., Roy Halladay was rusty in his first outing since July, allowing four hits and four unearned runs for Toronto.

Indians 5, Astros 2

At Kissimmee, Fla., Ronnie Belliard looked ready for the WBC, hitting a three-run homer to lead Cleveland.

Mets 12, Cardinals 7

At Jupiter, Fla., Xavier Nady went 4-for-4 with a grand slam and six RBIs in his Mets debut, not a bad way to stake an early claim to a starting spot. After being acquired from San Diego during the offseason, Nady is competing with Victor Diaz for playing time in right field.

Dodgers 3, Braves 2

At Vero Beach, Fla., Nomar Garciaparra made two outstanding plays at first base, and Aaron Sele and Lance Carter pitched two scoreless innings.

Padres 2, Mariners 2, 10 innings

At Peoria, Ariz., Felix Hernandez struck out the side in his only inning for Seattle, and San Diego starter Jake Peavy gave up two runs in two innings. Peavy tuned up for his next start – for the United States against Mexico in the WBC next Tuesday.

Diamondbacks 9, White Sox (ss) 2

At Tucson, Ariz., Freddy Garcia allowed two runs in three innings for Chicago, his only spring-training start before he leaves to pitch for Venezuela in the WBC.

Cubs 8, Athletics 7

At Mesa, Ariz., Carlos Zambrano allowed one hit in three shutout innings for Chicago. He also will pitch for Venezuela in the WBC.

Rockies 8, White Sox (ss) 1

At Tucson, Ariz., Jeff Baker hit a three-run homer for Colorado, dropping the defending World Series champions to 0-3 this spring. Javier Vazquez did well in his Chicago debut.

Giants 10, Brewers 5

At Phoenix, Ray Durham hit a three-run double during a five-run third inning for San Francisco. Todd Linden went 4-for-4 with a walk.