Matsui Goes Wild, and So Do His Fans in Japan

November 6, 2009

By HIROKO TABUCHI

TOKYO — For many Japanese, Hideki Matsui is a man of contradictions — a towering hulk with a sensitive heart, a player of fierce self-discipline known for lewd jokes and a national hero who refuses to play for his country at international tournaments, much to the chagrin of his home fans.

For this baseball-loving nation, Matsui’s performance at the World Series on Wednesday — hitting a home run, tying a World Series record with six runs batted in and being named the most valuable player — sent a clear message. It put a Japanese player and the Japanese game on the American baseball map more firmly than any compatriot’s performance did.

“Matsui’s one-man show!” an early headline proclaimed after the New York Yankees’ victory. “Unstoppable Matsui goes wild on the field,” another read.

“When Matsui does well, he helps wins recognition for Japanese baseball,” said Suguru Egawa, a baseball commentator and former pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants, Matsui’s former team. “Now, the world knows the Japanese aren’t just good at playing ball — they’re power hitters, too.”

In many ways, Japan has been waiting for the 6-foot-2 Matsui, who dominated his generation of players in Japan, to go wild in America.

In a oft-repeated story, a young Matsui switched to left-handed pitching and hitting so that youths playing against him would have more of a chance.

He burst into the national consciousness at a high school tournament in 1992 when, after a barrage of home runs, a pitcher walked him intentionally in five consecutive at-bats. The incident sparked a controversy over unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of the pitcher — but also underlined that Matsui was in a league of his own.

A lifetime fan of the Hanshin Tigers, Matsui was drafted by the Tigers archrival, the Yomiuri Giants.

Still, Matsui, affectionately called “godzilla” for his height, grew to be a team leader, playing in four Japan Series, three of which the Giants won.

Matsui, 35, has often been overshadowed by his compatriot, Ichiro Suzuki, the smooth-talking Seattle Mariners hitter. Matsui skipped the World Baseball Classic tournaments in this year and in 2006 to concentrate on the Yankees — much to Japanese disappointment — while Suzuki returned to lead Japan to two consecutive world titles.

But after Wednesday’s World Series triumph, Matsui is, at least for now, bigger than Ichiro.

“Ichiro is great, but you gotta give it to Matsui for being a clean-up batter in a star-studded team like the Yankees,” said Masayuki Kakefu, a legendary former third baseman for the Hanshin Tigers and Matsui’s childhood idol. “Matsui’s MVP holds great weight for all of Japan.”

Mr. Egawa, the sportscaster, added, “I don’t think anyone cares about Matsui not coming back to play anymore.”

With Matsui’s future with New York uncertain, talk is turning to where he will be next season. “The Yankees are the strongest American team, right?” said Shinkichi Sato, 61, a shipping company worker in Tokyo. “Then I think he’s got to stay with the Yankees for life.”

Yasuko Kamiizumi and Moshe Komata contributed reporting.