New York Yankees and Hideki Matsui are perfect match for each other – MLB News
Hideki Matsui was absolutely brilliant for the Yankees in 2009 post season and he left the Yankees fans wanting more of him. Hitting three home runs with eight RBI’s in the ALCS, he looked on top of his game.
His consistent performances in the playoffs earned him the World Series Most Valuable Player award. His batting average of .615 against Philadelphia Phillies was the highest among all hitters in Yankees side. However, Yankees made a big mistake by not renewing his contract at the end of that season.
The Yankees’ manager, Brian Cashman instead signed former Yankees' player Nick Johnson and the move backfired immediately as Johnson failed to live up to the expectations.
The 2010 season turned out to be the disaster for Johnson as he managed to take part in only 24 games before suffering from a serious wrist injury, which forced him out of the game for the rest of the season.
Cashman had paid $5.5 million to sign Johnson that season. The Yankees could have retained Matsui for an additional $1 million. It will not be wrong to say that the Johnson-Yankees deal turned out to be the worst move of that season.
After the 2009 postseason, the Yankees showed no interest in signing Matsui and the Japanese striker, instead, he had to sign a contract with the Los Angeles Angels. In the 2010 ALCS, Texas Rangers’ arms got the batter of Yankees’ hitters. Brian Cashman and his men missed Matsui’s sensational hitting in 2011 as they failed to achieve their desired results in the playoffs.
Similarly, Matsui had a poor 2011 season as he managed to hit just .251/.321/.375 with only 12 home-runs and 72 RBI’s in 141 games. It looks as if his best days are behind him. However, whoever has seen him hit during the 2009 post season, will not make such a conclusion. He has an excellent chance to revive his career.
At the age of 37, he will be looking to post his best season before his calls it a career. Yankees, on the other hand, will be looking to give him confidence so that he plays his natural game with freedom.
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