Hideki Matsui

Hideki Matsui, nicknamed Godzilla, was a power-hitting Japanese outfielder who starred for the Yomiuri Giants before becoming World Series MVP with the New York Yankees.

Hideki Matsui drove in six runs in the clinching Game 6 of the 2009 World Series to become the first player ever named MVP of both a Japan Series and a World Series, capping a career in which he hit 507 home runs across two decades of professional baseball in Japan and the United States. He developed a fearsome reputation as a schoolboy slugger at Seiryo High School, where opposing pitchers intentionally walked him five times in a single game rather than risk letting him swing. The Yomiuri Giants selected him in the 1992 NPB draft, and he made his professional debut in 1993, going on to spend ten seasons as one of Japanese baseball's most feared hitters, winning three Central League MVP awards and helping the Giants to three Japan Series titles. Matsui signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent in December 2002, becoming one of the highest-profile Japanese position players to move to MLB. He was an immediate success, driving in at least 100 runs in each of his first three major league seasons — a feat matched at the time by only Albert Pujols among post-1940 debutants. Playing primarily left field and later shifting to designated hitter as knee injuries mounted, Matsui combined disciplined plate coverage with genuine home-run power, making the All-Star team in 2004. His signature moment came in the 2009 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Restricted largely to designated-hitter duties by that point in his career, Matsui delivered a six-RBI performance in the clinching Game 6 — including a three-run home run — to power the Yankees to the title and become the first player ever to be named MVP of both a Japan Series (2000) and a World Series. He spent his final MLB seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, and Tampa Bay Rays before signing a ceremonial one-day contract with the Yankees in 2013 to retire with the club. Between NPB and MLB, Matsui hit 507 home runs across two decades of professional baseball, and he was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.

Left-handed power hitter with disciplined plate approach and outfield versatility

One of the most successful Japanese position players in MLB history and a bridge figure between NPB and MLB stardom

• World Series champion & MVP (2009)
• 3x NPB Central League MVP
• 2x MLB All-Star
• 9x NPB All-Star
• Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (2018)