Hideki Matsui

Hideki Matsui (松井 秀喜, Matsui Hideki, born June 12, 1974) is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played baseball in Japan and the United States. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

After playing the first ten seasons of his career for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he played the next seven seasons, from 2003–2009, for the New York Yankees of North America's Major League Baseball. As a free agent, Matsui then had one-year stints with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Oakland Athletics, and the Tampa Bay Rays. Matsui was successful in both leagues, winning the Central League Most Valuable Player Award three times in Japan, as well as the World Series Most Valuable Player Award in the United States. On July 28, 2013, Matsui signed a one-day minor league contract with the New York Yankees in order to officially retire as a Yankee. A pregame ceremony was held for him.

Early life

Hideki Matsui was born in Neagari, Ishikawa, Japan (later merged into Nomi, Ishikawa). According to an interview on YES Network's "CenterStage," Matsui originally batted right-handed as a child. However, when he started playing with his older brother and his friends, Matsui was such a good hitter that his embarrassed brother insisted that he bat left-handed or stop playing with them. Matsui soon became an overpowering left-handed batter, thereafter batting left-handed.