Yankees Daily

Hideki Matsui career Yankee highlights

• Hideki Matsui signed with the New York Yankees in December 2002.

• He became the first Yankee to hit a grand slam in his first game at Yankee Stadium.

• Went on to hit .287 with 16 home runs and 106 RBI and lost the Rookie of the Year Award to Angel Berroa.

• In 2003 he became the first Japanese player to hit a home run in a World Series Game which was Game 2.

• Finished 2004 with a .298 average with 31 home runs and 108 RBIs.

• Hit a career high .305 and 116 RBIs in 2005.

• After missing most of the season due to a wrist injury in 2006 he batted .302 with 8 home runs and 29 RBIs but was the highest vote getter in the American League during the break.

• Signed a four-year deal for $52 million, surpassing Ichiro Suzuki as the highest paid Japanese player in baseball. Would stay with the Yankees until the end of 2009.

• On May 6, 2007 Matsui Recorded his 2,000th hit in combined hits in Japan and the United States during a game vs. the Mariners on May 6th, 2007. This earned him a place in Japan’s Golden Players Club which is reserved for players who have hit 2000 hits, 200 wins or 250 saves professionally.

• Became the first Japanese player in MLB history to hit 100 home runs on August 5th, 2007.

• Was 3rd in the AL with 10 sacrifice flies and 9th in walks per strikeout (1.00) in 2007.

• In the winter of 2007, there were rumors in the New York media that the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees were in talks to send Hideki Matsui to the Giants in exchange for one or two pitchers.

• On his 34th birthday which was on June 12, 2008, Matsui hit a grand slam helping the Yankees to a 4-1 victory over the A’s.

• Through out all of 2008, Matsui batted .294 against right-handed pitchers and .295 against lefties.

• In 2009 Matsui hit a three-run home run on his 35th birthday, giving the Yankees a 7-6 lead over the New York Mets in the 6th inning.

• On July 20th, he hit a walk-off solo home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Yankees their fourth win in a row after the All Star break. This was their 9th walk-off win and it gave the Yankees a tie for 1st place with the Boston Red Sox.

• On August 21st, Matsui hit two home runs and drove in a career-high seven runs in the Yankees win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park by a score of 20-11.

• Became the first Yankee to drive in seven runs in a game at Fenway since Lou Gehrig in 1930.

• Two games later, Matsui would hit two home runs for his third time in just seven games.

• Hideki Matsui was voted by fans as the MLB Clutch Performer of the Month of August which was Presented by Peps.

• Hit his 26th home run of the season on September 19th breaking the Yankees’ record for home runs in a single season by a designated hitter. The record was previously held by Don Baylor.

• In the 2009 World Series, Matsui by hit .615 (8 for 13) with 3 home runs and 8 RBI, including a World Series record-tying 6-RBI performance in Game 6. He helped the Yankees defeat the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies four games to two.

• Even though the designated hitter was not used in the three games in Philadelphia, he only started the three games in New York and won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award.

• Became the first Japanese-born player to win the World Series MVP award as well as the first player to win it as a full-time designated hitter.

• Joined Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as the third player in Major League history to bat .500 or above and hit 3 home runs in the same World Series.

The New York Yankees signed Godzilla to help them win the World Series and it looks like mission accomplished. Good luck with Anaheim, Matsui.

We all know that Hideki Matsui helped the Yankees win the World Series with some clutch hits in the playoffs and we saw his bashing of Pedro Martinez in game six of the World Series of 2009.

Hideki Matsui wants to be back but will the Yankees bring him back? The Yankees have a plethera of outfielders and all Matsui could do is DH since he has surgically repaired knees. He is a Red Sox killer however but we have Austin Jackson waiting down in the minors. Jackson did hit .300 but with only four home runs.

Would the Yankees take the chance of resigning him even if he says he’s going to get his knees into game shape? Will they sign Matt Holiday and let Johnny Damon walk? If they don’t resign Matsui, would the Yankees lose all the momentum they built up from the last year? Do you lose any chemistry by letting him walk? Matsui loves the crowds, the fans, his teammates and more importantly the New York Yankees.

There’s another thing the Yankees have to consider if they don’t resign Matsui. He’s one of the biggest reasons that we won 9 of the last 10 games against the Red Sox. He’s the biggest Red Sox killer out there. He killed them all season long

Where else are you going to get an established player who’s well-liked by his teammates and fans that can put up his numbers? If us Yankee fans want new players maybe we should pay more attention to our minor league clubs. The Yankees won 103 games with Matsui in a tough division, a tough league, and an even tougher World Series. Making unnecessary changes in the off season might not be the answer.

However, by not signing Matsui would allow veteran players like Posada, Jeter, A-Rod, Texeira and Swisher to play DH and stay fresh for the whole season.

Could Johnny Damon be more valuable to the team than Matsui with his speed on the bases? If Damon comes back, Damon and Posada will have to split time at DH. It’s a shame, but there’s simply no room for Matsui. Hopefully he’ll be content to returning to Japan and consider his mission here in the US a rousing success. He’ll probably be able to command a much higher salary in Japan than anyone would be willing to pay him in the United States. Even without him, there’s still a logjam in the outfield, with Austin Jackson likely ready for the majors and Xavier Nady coming back from injury.

Sign him to a one year deal or no? I say…. I’m not sure. That’s why I don’t get paid to run the New York Yankees.

What a series Hideki Matsui had for the New York Yankees and he didn’t even start every game. What I realized about Hideki Matsui is that he was the best player in Japan. He showed why he was the best on Wednesday night. While watching the game, I was thinking, you know, I bet a lot of Japanese fans saw him perform like this. I bet he was clutch for the Yomiuri Giants as well.

The one thing the Yankees will miss with Hideki Matsui if they don’t resign him is his clutchness. He had big hits all year and not just in the World Series. Then when he came to the plate in the World Series, the Phillie pitchers should of been forewarned. They didn’t know they were messing with god from Japan or better yet, Godzilla.

This guy was hitting 50 home runs in 140 games in Japan. I’m happy that the Yankees signed him even if it took seven years for him to win a title with the Yankees. It was worth the wait.

Hideki’s stats.

If the game is on the line and the Yankees need a big hit, I want Hideki Matsui up there more than any one else on the team. He always seems to come up with the big hit when the New York Yankees need it most.

Today for instance, the Yankees were losing 2-1 to the Boston Red Sox in the sixth inning. There were two outs with a man on second and third base. I knew he was going to get a hit. Every one at my family’s house knew it.

Matsui just has a knack for getting the big hit. He’ll be very valuable in the playoffs and I hope he starts a lot.

He was the best player in Japan and that wasn’t by accident.

Matsui

Hideki Matsui took 20 swings off of a tee yesterday and 5 swings of soft toss and said his knee feels ok. “As far as how I feel, so far no problems,” he said.

• MATSUI HAS GOOD DAY REHABBING - Mark Hale – NY Post

Mailbag: Matsui considered for first?

• Yankees beat reporter Bryan Hoch answers fans’ questions – Bryan Hoch – Yankees Official
• Pettitte probed about Mitchell Report – Bryan Hoch – Yankees Official

Bryan Hoch answers his mailbag questions.

• Mailbag: Who will be the left fielder? – Bryan Hoch – Yankees Official
• Damon on Gaining Weight and Cashman on Williams – Jack Curry – New York Times

The Yankees are still entertaining the thought of having Johan Santana in their rotation and with a plethora of outfielders on their roster, Melky Cabrera would have to go.

• Around the Horn: Outfielders – yankees.com – Bryan Hoch