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Hideki Matsui Art Hideki Matsui signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees in 2002. He played ten seasons in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants where he was a three time winner of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League Most Valuable Player Award. Hideki Matsui debuted with the Yankees in 2003 becoming the first Yankee to hit a grand slam in his first game at Yankee Stadium. Later in 2003 he became the first Japanese player to hit a World Series Home Run. In 2006, Hideki Matsui signed a four year, $52 million deal with the Yankees making him the highest paid Japanese player. He is the first Japanese player to hit 100 major league home runs. When the Yankees won the 2009 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Matsui was named the series Most Valuable Player as the Yanks designated hitter. Hit hit .615 (8 for 13) with eight runs batted in and three home runs. He tied a record with six RBIs in game six. Hideki became only the third player to bat over .500 and hit three home runs in the same World Series tying former Yankees Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. |
