DUNEDIN, Fla. - The way he pitched last Saturday, B.J. Ryan figured he'd be doing neither the American team nor the Toronto Blue Jays any good by suiting up at the World Baseball Classic.

That's why he pulled the plug on representing his country, staying back at Dunedin Stadium instead of heading to nearby Clearwater where the United States squad was gathering Monday.

"It's kind of a swallow your pride kind of thing, you talk to people that you really value their opinion and you know you're not ready," Ryan said after a bullpen session with pitching coach Brad Arnsberg.

"Physically you feel good but out there pitching, I'm just not right yet."

The news, which first came out in the early hours Monday, came after Ryan was a disaster Saturday, failing to finish his scheduled inning of work. He gave up four runs on two hits and three walks, getting pulled with two out, with manager Cito Gaston saying afterwards that Ryan's mechanics "really weren't good."

Gaston also said his preference was that Ryan not leave after an outing like that, and Monday said he was relieved his closer was staying.

"I'm happy he decided to stay back because we didn't see the B.J. we wanted to see out there," said Gaston. "And I'm pretty sure he didn't see it himself."

The Blue Jays want to tread carefully with Ryan, who was 2-4 with 32 saves and a 2.95 earned-run average in 60 games last year after coming back from Tommy John surgery. His velocity was down as expected from his all-star 2006 season and his outings were far too often an adventure, so they want to make sure he builds up well this spring.

Still, general manager J.P. Ricciardi said the team had nothing to do with Ryan's decision to withdraw and added that he wasn't too concerned about what he saw Saturday.

"Most closers, they don't get teed up until the last 10 days of spring training. He's probably just in a foreign spot as far as getting ready this early," said Ricciardi. "I'm not concerned on March 3rd about a player who's not even close to what he's going to be."

Some players have experienced nudge-nudge, wink-wink responses from their teams discouraging them from playing in the Classic but Ryan insisted the decision was all his, saying the last two days have been very hard on him. He believes extra work with Arnsberg and bullpen coach Bruce Walton will set him straight.

He's set to throw a couple of bullpen sessions before returning to game action at the end of the week.

"It's just getting out there and breaking some bad habits that I created last year," said Ryan. "The only way you can do that is by repetition and I owe it to the club here and I owe it to those guys to tell them that I shouldn't have to go out there and be working on something when you pitch for your country.

"It's something you take a lot of pride in and you want to be 100 per cent and step on it every pitch. That was something I didn't feel capable of doing right now. So that's the decision I made."

His loss is bad news for the American bullpen, which lost Twins closer Joe Nathan on Sunday night and discovered Angels closer Brian Fuentes won't pitch in the first round.

"To have to pass an opportunity like that, it's tough," said Ryan. "The great relievers, the Mariano Riveras and those guys, you know what you're getting day in and day out, it's not a crapshoot.

Guys can repeat their delivery consistently. I've got a kind of different delivery so I need guys that I've worked with before, that was a big part of the decision."

Gaston didn't seem too disappointed in the news.

"These guys are rushing to get ready and go to participate," he said. "Right now his arm is not bothering him, it's just the fact that he hasn't thrown enough to be ready. ...

"I encourage those guys to go but I'm happy he's staying around because it will give him a chance to get where he wants to go, get where he wants to be. And it will certainly give us a chance to get him where he wants to be."