Matsui nearing milestone
Hideki Matsui is poised to add another feather in his cap after hitting a homer for the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday. The veteran slugger nailed his 20th homer of the season, tying Hiromitsu Ochiai in fifth spot on the Japanese all-time career RBI list.
Matsui smashed a homer off Cleveland Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona towards right centre field with one out in the seventh inning. Unfortunately, the Angels lost to the Indians 2-3 in 11 innings.
Despite the loss, Matsui recorded his 1,564th RBI in the majors and Nippon Professional Baseball combined. He tied the record of three-time Japanese Triple Crown winner Ochiai, who served as his mentor when he played for the Yomiuri Giants in the 1990s.
The 36-year-old Matsui gave credit to Ochiai after accomplishing the feat. "I learned a lot from Ochiai-san, there's no question about that," he said.
Matsui played nine years for the Giants, posting 332 homers and 889 RBIs. He led the Giants to four Japan Series appearances, winning in 1994, 2000 and 2002. Matsui was also the Central League's Most Valuable Player in 1996, 2000 and 2002. His breakout season
came in 1996 when he batted .314 with 38 home runs and 99 RBIs.
Matsui joined the New York Yankees in 2003 and instantly became a fan favourite in the Big Apple. He became the highest paid Japanese player in the majors after signing a four-year deal worth $52 million in 2005. It was his most productive year with the
Yankees; the prized slugger batted .305 and made 116 RBIs.
Matsui was named MVP in last year's World Series after leading the Yankees over the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. He made three homers and eight RBIs, including six in a Game Six to tie the single-game World Series record of Bobby Richardson. He became
the first Japanese-born player to be named World Series MVP. Despite helping the Yankees win a World Series title, Matsui opted to leave the team and signed with the Angels late last year.
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