Hideki Matsui
Hideki Matsui (松井 秀喜
Matsui Hideki, born
June 12,
1974) is a
Japanese
Major League Baseball left fielder who plays for the
New York Yankees. He bats
left-handed and throws
right-handed. Matsui earned the popular nickname "
Godzilla" and even made a cameo in the film
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla.
Matsui was born in
Neagari, Ishikawa,
Japan (later merged into
Nomi, Ishikawa). He started playing baseball when he was in elementary school. According to an interview on
YES Network's "
CenterStage," Matsui originally batted right-handed as a child. However, when he started playing with his older brother and his friends, Matsui was such a good batter that his embarrassed brother insisted that he bat left-handed or stop playing with them. Matsui soon enough became an overpowering left-handed batter, and stayed on that side of the plate from then on. Matsui's stance is somewhat eccentric because he does not place any movement on his bat.
Matsui participated in four
National High School Baseball Tournaments at
Koshien Stadium, once in the spring and three times in summer, during his high school years. In 1992, he drew five consecutive intentional walks in a game at Koshien and became a nationwide topic in Japan at that time (partly because intentionally walking batters was very uncommon in Japan at that time), even though the strategy worked and his team lost. Matsui graduated from Seiryo High School in
Kanazawa, Ishikawa.
Following high school Matsui was drafted by the
Yomiuri Giants in the first round. Based in
Tokyo, the Giants are Japan's most famous and, by far, most successful baseball franchise. Coincidentally, Yomiuri is often referred to by fans and detractors alike as the "New York Yankees of the Japanese Baseball League."
A three-time
MVP in the
Japanese Central League (1996, 2000, and 2002), Matsui led his team into four Japan Series and winning three titles (1994, 2000 and 2002). He also made nine consecutive all-star games and led the league in
home runs and
RBIs three times (1998, 2002, and 2002). His single season mark for home runs was 50 in 2002, his final season in Japan. In the ten seasons he played in Japan, Matsui totalled 1268 games played, 4572
AB, 1390 hits, 901 runs, 332 home runs, 889 RBIs, a .304
batting average, and a .582
slugging percentage.
His first trip to the Japan Series became well-known. Because of the MLBPA Players' Strike in 1994, Matsui became known to the American media, as media outlets (including those in Minnesota, who was there covering two players with Minnesota ties, Philadelphia, and Washington) were covering the Series, which was referred in
Sports Illustrated as "the" Fall Classic.
Matsui signed a three-year contract with the
New York Yankees on
January 14,
2003. A parade was held for him in Tokyo to celebrate his signing with the Yankees and many reporters and photographers followed him to MLB from his home in Tokyo. In the 2003 Yankee home opener, Matsui became the first Yankee to hit a grand slam in his first game at
Yankee Stadium. Matsui went on to hit .287 with 16 home runs and 106 RBI. In his second season, Matsui finished 2004 with a .298 average with 31 home runs and 108 RBIs. In 2005, Matsui hit a career high .305 and 116 RBIs.
Matsui signed a four-year deal for $52 million dollars, surpassing
Ichiro Suzuki as the highest paid Japanese player in baseball, and securing his place with the Yankees through
2009.
Matsui did not miss a game in his first three seasons with the Yankees, putting together a streak of 518
games played. Before that, he played in 1,250 consecutive games with Yomiuri, for a total professional baseball streak of 1,768.
On
May 11,
2006, in his 519th game with the Yankees, Matsui fractured his left wrist on an unsuccessful sliding catch in the top of the first inning against the
Boston Red Sox. The game did not count toward Matsui's streak, as a player must field for at least half an inning or take an at-bat to be credited with a game played (MLB rule 10.24). Matsui underwent surgery on
May 12,
2006. He is expected to return in three months. Matsui himself stated "I will do my best to fully recover and return to the field to help my team once again." [
1]
*
Japanese baseball*
2003 World Series*
List of Japanese baseball players*
History of baseball outside the United States*
An Inside Look At Hideki Matsui*
ESPN*
Japanese Baseball*
Legend of Hideki,Matsui*
Hideki Matsui Basebell Museum(This museum was built by his older brother who is the authorized architect and builder.)
*
Video of Streak-Ending Injury.
