In the entire history of the New York Yankees, there has been an absurd number of incredible players, and of course, incredible performances as well. For me, one of the most iconic stretches I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes was that of former Yankee, Hideki Matsui, and the show he put on in the 2009 World Series.
Hideki’s career with New York Yankees
Matsui was signed from Japan in 2003 and ended up suiting up in Pinstripes for seven seasons, and across those seven seasons, he excelled, never posting an OPS under .788 (his lowest, in his rookie year in ’03). He was the epitome of consistency, and was always a very reliable lefty bat and saw time in left field, but primarily at DH. Hideki was a trusted force throughout his entire career with the Yankees and never gave Torre or Girardi any reasons to cap his reps. His attitude and demeanor were always focused on performing to the best of his abilities, and letting his game do the talking. “Godzilla” as he was dubbed, was often soft-spoken, very similar to fellow Japanese star, Ichiro in that fact, and always played the game the way it was meant to be played. However, for this piece specifically, I’d like to talk about his World Series performance vs. the Phillies back in ’09, the one that earned him the WS MVP award.
The Performances before the ’09 World Series
Now before Hideki was able to ‘literally’ tear the cover off the baseball versus Philadelphia, he struggled mightily in the Divisional Series, and also the ALCS. In the ALDS vs. the Minnesota Twins, despite the Yankees making quick work of them and sweeping the Joe Mauer & Justin Morneau led squad in three games, Hideki struggled to connect with the ball at a high rate. However, with that, he did take three walks to pair with a very minimal sample of 9 AB’s across those three games. While he only was able to tally two hits, suitable for a .222 AVG, his OBP sat at .417 — ultimately good for, including SLG%, an OPS of .972. Now, I know many that are reading this are probably saying to themselves, “huh, who in their right mind thinks that an OPS of .972 is not great?! — and to that I say, wait until you see the World Series numbers.
In the ALCS, Hideki took a significant step back from that .972 OPS, as it was a more challenging series vs. the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, that ended up going to six games, with the Yankees prevailing 4-2 in the series. Hideki saw 25 Plate Appearances, and took four walks, but was only able to register one extra-base hit, thus leading to a very underwhelming .670 OPS during that series. For me, Hideki and Andy Pettitte are my two favorite players to ever suit up for the Yankees, so seeing that Hideki seemed to be showing signs of slowing down here & didn’t seem to possess that “pop” he showed during the regular season — 28 HR & an SLG% of .509 — was hard for me. I viewed it as the only natural that the age may have been catching up with him — as the longtime OF’er turned full-time DH was 35 at this point & had just finished playing 143 games — but I was more shocked that it was as if he had just lost the magical touch.
One of the Greatest Performances ever witnessed
All that changed when the games that mattered most were “up to the plate,” and as Hideki notoriously never took any practice swings before his AB’s, he didn’t waste any time making his mark during the World Series. In the World Series, Hideki ended up having a triple slash of .615 / .643 / 1.385 — good for an OPS of 2.027. Now, I understand that it was a small sample size, as it was only again across three games (the NL rule was applied for three, thus taking him out of the LU), and Hideki only saw 14 PAs entirely. However, out of those 14 PA’s he had 8 Hits, 3 HR, and 8 RBI — with SIX of those RBI’s coming in the decisive 7-3 victory in Game 6, in which the Yankees clinched the World Series Championship. He ended up hitting a two-run single in the third, a two-run double in the fifth, and the notorious two-run HR in the second off of Pedro Martinez, after an eight-pitch at-bat — side note, this game would end up being Martinez’s last. In the most important games of the season, NOBODY rose to the occasion to the effect that Matsui did.
For Hideki, it was a dream come true, and he is still the first Japanese born player ever to be given the honors of World Series MVP. He also became the first full-time DH to win the award, and it is absurd that he only played in HALF the games and took home the honor. Hideki was a leader on and off the field, and all the young guys looked up to him, Jeter, A-Rod, and Teixeira in the clubhouse — amongst many others. Godzilla, on having been given the award, said this — through his translator: “Its awesome — unbelievable. I’m surprised myself.” Soft-spoken, and a man of few words, Hideki truly let his play do the talking & when it mattered most.
Matsui cemented himself in Yankees’ history and will always be remembered for his incredibly generous personality and calm demeanor, but also for that game on a cold October night in which he single-handedly drove in six guys, in the 7-3 victory as mentioned earlier, and gave the Yankees WS number 27. Being responsible for 86% of the runs in the clincher isn’t too shabby. Hideki wouldn’t end up returning to the Yankees the following season, but his iconic “Yankee Moment” is one of the best that there has ever been, and ever will be. Godzilla wreaked havoc against the Phillies, and we — as Yankees fans — will never forget that moment.