Hideki Matsui has delivered everything his fans expected of him — and then some.
Instead, in December of 2002 he signed a four-year $52 million deal with the Yankees.
On July 20 his walk-off solo homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth gave the Yankees a tie for 1st place with the Boston Red Sox. Later that month, Matsui went on the disabled list with knee pain. Hideki Matsui: Warrior in the Clutch In his final season with the Yankees Hideki Matsui illustrated the two sides of a tiger’s nature — a willingness to endure patiently any amount of sacrifice out of loyalty, on the one hand, and, on the other, a readiness to cut all ties at any perceived disloyalty of others. His peevish brother demanded that Hideki start batting lefty if he wanted to keep playing with them. He took a $6.5 mil. He returned on August 19 as the everyday designated hitter, but ended the season with knee surgery.The greatest of Matsui’s clutch performances came in the 2009 World Series when Matsui seemed to single-handedly power the Yankees win over the defending champions with 3 home runs and 8 Despite all that glory Matsui’s seven years with the Yankees ended on a sour note. He said he “loved the Yankees the best” but that he felt unwanted when his agent called to negotiate, and “the Yankees had nothing prepared.” He lost no time signing with the Angels. In a controversial vote, Matsui narrowly lost the Rookie of the Year Award to In his second season, Matsui finished 2004 with a .298 average with 31 home runs and 108 RBIs. Matsui waited as the Yankees entered negotiations with other players. Despite the fracture Matsui threw the ball back to the infield before gripping his wrist in pain. Register Batting; Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG They had met in Japan after the 2006 off-season. As Hideki Matsui prepared to leave Japan for the US following the 2002 season, BBM decided to put out a 55 card box set highlighting his Japanese career. Many thanks to him.
He was the American League Matsui retained the "Godzilla" nickname and the song "Godzilla" by Matsui signed a four-year deal for $52 million, surpassing 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, which earned him a place in Japan's Golden Players Club, reserved for players who have hit 2000 hits, 200 wins or 250 saves professionally. At his first at-bat back he hit an Throughout his career Matsui showed an inspiring knack for clutch performances. That streak ended on May 11, 2006 when Matsui fractured his left wrist while sliding to make a catch in the top of the first inning against the Boston Red Sox. They had a taste of this attention in 2010, when they signed the greatest slugger Japan has sent to the major leagues,