VIDEO: Yankees legend Hideki Matsui shows he can still smash homers at 51-years-old
When Matsui arrived in New York in 2003, there was hope that he could be much better than Hideki Irabu. A fellow Japanese star with the same first name, but who was so frustrating that then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner once called him a fat toad. Well, Matsui ended up becoming a huge fan favorite during seven memorable seasons in the Bronx.
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During his time with the club, he earned All-Star honors twice. Smashed 146 homers. And knocked in 547 runs during the regular season. However, it was his performances in the playoffs that made him a legend with fans. In 56 postseason games, he posted a slashline of .312/.391/.541/.933, with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs. In 2009, he was voted the World Series MVP as he helped lead the Yankees to their most recent championship.
After 10 years in MLB, he called it a career in 2012 at 38 years old. While he was an all-around good hitter in the big leagues, he was originally a home run-hitting monster in his native Japan. And it seems that the ability to take pitches deep has not yet left him.
Hideki Matsui stats (Yankees): .292 VG, .370 OBP, .482 SLG, .852 OPS, 140 HR, 597 RBI, 536 R
This week, the New York Post's social accounts posted a video of the former MLB star at a local park. It is unclear in what city it occurred. However, the clip shows Matsui at the dish and getting thrown a pitch. And just like he did 175 times in the big leagues, the 51-year-old blasts the ball over the right field fence. Showing his smooth left-handed swing is still nasty.
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The one-time Yankees star hit a total of 507 homers during 10 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan, and then another ten in New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Tampa Bay in MLB. With the Giants, he hit 332 long balls.
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