Was Game 6 Matsui’s Swan Song?
By Jed Weisberger ~ November 5th, 2009. Filed under: 2009 World Series, Jed Weisberger.
Speculation is the Yankees will not re-sign designated hitter Hideki Matsui.
Obviously the newly crowned World Champions have decisions to make as they attempt to get a bit younger and look toward the time when both Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter spend time as designated hitters.
If that is indeed the case, his six-RBI performance Wednesday night, in which he was the offensive catalyst in the Yankees’ 7-3 World Series-clinching win over the Phillies, is a fitting cap to what has been a seven-year stay.
Matsui, earning World Series MVP honors, batted an incredible .643 (8-for-13) with a trio of home runs – each of which could be deemed crucial – to help the franchise win in its 27th championship.
If Matsui, who played in 916 games for the Yankees, indeed takes his game elsewhere, there are things that will be missed, even though, at 35, his days as a position player certainly appear to be behind him.
Matsui first joined the Yankees in spring training of 2003, and one knew right away things would be a bit different. Godzilla – all 6-foot-2, 210 pounds of him – arrived in Tampa and then-Legends Field with a mystique.
Given his legendary status in Japan, he also brought with him his private media entourage, a group many of us got to know and enjoy discussing baseball with. They cover his every move, how he holds his bat, how he runs, how he walks. It’s fascinating to see.
This also changed the Yankees in a way, as scores of additional reporters began following the team. On the other hand, Matsui delivered, for both the Yankees and his adoring fans back home, batting .292 (977-for-3,348) over his seven seasons, hitting 140 homers and driving in 597 runs.
His best seasons were 2004-05, in which he hit a combined 54 homers and drove in 224 runs. He remains, as was seen in the World Series, a clutch hitter.
Operating strictly as a DH this year, he turned in excellent numbers, batting .274 (125-for-456) with 28 homers – his second-highest total as a Yankee – and recording 90 RBIs. As a fifth-place hitter, he was still among the elite.
“The key was we kept Hideki healthy (something he was not in 2006 and 2008) all year, and he was a key player for us,’’ said Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
Matsui made his case to stay, as did Johnny Damon. Perhaps he has a few more years in pinstripes as a DH. If not, maybe he will find a home with Ichiro in Seattle.
If such is the case, Matsui had a great run with the Yankees, one which couldn’t have ended in better fashion.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Matsui more than made his case to return next year. I’d like to know what his teammates think about the Yanks letting him go. Would they be willing to forgo an occasional day at DH to have him back?