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.

Tags: Hideki Matsui, hideki matsui career yankee highlights, mvp, new york yankees, world series., Yankees, yankeesdaily

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