Hideki Matsui Retires

Hideki "Godzilla" Matsui Calls It A Career

Hediki Matsui, a star in two lands has finally rode off into the sunset. After clubbing his way into the majors from his homeland Japan, and stints with four different teams, including a one year stop with my Oakland A's, he has decided to retire. He was a constant professional, and adjusted quickly to the constant media and fan pressure to perform under the bright lights of New York. Hideki was the first true power hitter to come from Japan, and he did not disappoint. He hit 332 home runs in his 10 year Japanese career, and tacked on another 175 at the MLB level. He also hit for a respectable .282/.360/.462 line in his 10 year MLB career. The peak of his career came in 2009 when he led the Yankees to a World Series victory in which he took home World Series MVP honors. The Yankees rewarded him by letting him walk in free agency in which he found a new home for the LA Angels. 

The rest of his career in the majors was statistically uninspiring as he saw all of his major batting categories fall in value. I would like to think that he did have an impact on all the teams that were lucky enough to have him on board. He was grateful for every opportunity given to him, and was a great clubhouse presence according to many of his previous teammates. He did provide a few exciting at-bats for Oakland back in 2011 that I can remember, for a team that was less than exciting to watch. 

Whatever he may do in the future, I'm sure he will succeed at. There is a good chance that he will return home to Japan and manage for a baseball team there. We may have not seen the last of Matsui in a major league uniform, although his return will be in a coaching role. For the right team, I believe he could be a great hitting coach. Here's to Godzilla and all the great memories he provided, even though most of them were in a Yankees uniform.