Yankees: Revisiting Hideki Matsui’s Arrival From Japan for 2003 Season

Revisiting Hideki Matsui’s arrival from Japan to the New York Yankees in 2002.

Not many Yankees over the last 20 years have been as popular among fans as former outfielder Hideki Matsui, who signed a one-day contract to retire with the organization back in 2013.

What made the feared slugger’s tenure with New York so impressive was that he arrived in the Bronx with ridiculous expectations after establishing himself as a super in Japan.

Matsui spent a decade with the Yomiuri Giants, a span in which he won three MVP awards and clubbed 322 home runs, which earned him the nickname “Godzilla” as he helped the club capture three championships.

After a prolific career in his native country, the Yankees inked Matsui to a three-year, $21 million contract on Dec. 19, 2002. The city of Tokyo threw a parade in his honor following the signing and the pandemonium continued as he made his way to the states to play for MLB’s most storied franchise. Dozens of reporters and photographers followed him to America to document his first season in Pinstripes.

How did Matsui respond to the overwhelming buzz surrounding his name? By drilling an RBI single in his first official plate appearance of the 2003 season. He took things a step further at the team’s home opener by becoming the first player in franchise history to hit a grand slam in his first game at Yankee Stadium. That year, the Nomi native hit .287/.353/.435 with 16 home runs and 116 RBI en route earning his first of two All-Star appearances.

From there, Matsui continued to embrace the pressure, as he went on to enjoy a sensational career with the club.

He spent a grand total of seven years in New York, during which he posted a  .292/.370/.482 slash line with 140 home runs and 597 RBI. His indisputable greatest achievement came during the 2009 World Series, when he was named MVP after hitting .615 with three home runs and eight RBI against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Matsui might have joined the Yankees in the middle of his prime, but that shouldn’t prevent him from being considered a club legend.

Had New York won an additional World Series (or two) during his tenure, that wouldn’t even be up for debate.