Torre OK staying away

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre doesn’t mind that he was left off the coaching staff for the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium. He might not have accepted an invitation anyway.

“I’m with a new team now,” Torre said Friday night. “(Yankees manager) Joe Girardi is a coach for the All-Star Game, and deservedly so. They usually take the local city’s managers as coaches. Besides, I’m not sure that if I got a call, I would say yes. Going over there at this point in time, I may serve as more of a distraction than to go over there and help the manager win a ballgame.”

National League manager Clint Hurdle invited San Diego manager Bud Black and New York Mets skipper Willie Randolph.

The Brooklyn-born Torre spent 12 years with the Yankees, managing them to four World Series championships, six A.L. pennants and 10 division titles. .

Yankees fans will get to cheer Torre’s successor, Joe Girardi, who was chosen by A.L. manager Terry Francona.

The last time Yankee Stadium hosted the All-Star game was in 1977.

Soria signs extension

Joakim Soria and the Kansas City Royals agreed to a three-year contract extension on Saturday, which includes club options for three more years that could keep the closer with the club through 2014.

Soria allowed a run for the first time this season on Friday night, a two-run homer by Florida’s Jeremy Hermida, but struck out Hanley Ramirez and Jorge Cantu for his 11th save. Soria threw 16 2/3 scoreless innings to start the season, one-third shy of the Royals record.

A-Rod hits homer

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez went 1 for 4 with a solo homer in his first extended spring training game in St. Petersburg, Fla.

It was his first game since being sidelined by a strained right quadriceps April 28. Rodriguez batted five times against David Price, taken first overall in last year’s amateur draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. He hit a long opposite-field homer to right on a 95 mph fastball, walked once, flew out and struck out twice.