Latest news with #Matsui
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
VIDEO: Yankees legend Hideki Matsui shows he can still smash homers at 51-years-old
Despite being 20 years removed from his prime, New York Yankees great Hideki Matsui still can crush baseballs over outfield fences. 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. Advertisement Related: Yankees voice Michael Kay rips Mets star Juan Soto on odd comment about All-Star snub 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. Advertisement 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. Related: 4 teams likely to push back against MLB salary cap, including Yankees and Dodgers Related Headlines
Irish Examiner
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Taoiseach told 'we must break the cycle of hate' as he lays wreath at Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park
'We must break the cycle of hate.' This is what Taoiseach Micheál Martin was told by the Mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, in the moments after laying a wreath at the Japanese city's Peace Memorial Park. It is almost 80 years since the atomic bomb was detonated in the city, killing tens of thousands in its immediate blast and hundreds of thousands more with side-effects of radiation emitted in its wake. Mr Martin arrived in Hiroshima on board the bullet train, the Shinkansen, for a brief trip to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park where a raised gazebo, containing the city's peace bell, was built in 1964 to stand in opposition to the proliferation and continued development of nuclear weapons. Mr Martin gave the bell a ring, resulting in a low drone emanating after the log struck metal. But after ringing the bell, it was pointed out to the Taoiseach there were dragonflies skittering across the pond below. He was quick to pull out his phone, attempting to snap a picture of bright blue bugs gliding above the water. Shortly after, the delegation was back in their cars and speeding off to another part of the park. Stepping out of the car into the stifling heat, Mr Martin met with Mr Matsui and walked the long pathway towards the main cenotaph, commemorating the bombing. Shaped like a saddle, it was designed to provide shelter for the souls of victims killed by the bomb. Mr Matsui explained to the Taoiseach that there are over 300,000 names within a stone chest at the cenotaph's centre – one for each of the victims of the US attack in 1945. He added somberly that an additional 5,000 names are added each year, as survivors of the attack pass away. During his brief time in the city, the Taoiseach also met with hibakusha, survivors of the bomb, who outlined to him in stark terms what the attack was like. Teruko Yakata, who was just eight years old when the bomb was dropped, told the Taoiseach how she travelled to the hills to escape and later returned to the horrors that lay in Hiroshima. 'She spoke about the burning, the shrapnel, and the glass in her mother's back,' Mr Martin said. When they were coming back down from the hills, there was rows of people coming back up with burns and skin peeling off their arms. The Taoiseach said it was a particularly moving description, highlighting the trauma that has remained throughout her life. Mr Martin described how Yakata has remained attached to bowls of rice as an emotional anchor, having told him how she received one while starving in the Hiroshima mountains. 'Someone gave her a bowl of rice. So even today, she cradles a bowl of rice and she would feed people with bowls of rice because that's embedded in her psyche now.' When the visit was wrapping up, just moments before Mr Martin was due to head for the airport to return home to Dublin, he was asked if he believed the world was now more dangerous than in 1945, with the advent of more powerful nuclear weapons and stronger weapons of war. He said: 'I believe it is. It is in a very dangerous place.' The Taoiseach said it showed two differing sides to humanity; the ingenuity of the species in engineering, but also the 'stupidity of humankind'. While it was a particularly sombre visit to the city, there was some levity, as an excited group of Japanese schoolchildren waved to the Taoiseach before being left slightly star struck when the Hiroshima mayor informed them it was the Prime Minister of Ireland. But his week-long visit to Japan has concluded, with the Taoiseach jetting off to Dublin via Toronto, with some speculation he could be on his way to Croker for Saturday's match. Read More
Yomiuri Shimbun
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yomiuri Shimbun
San Diego Padres Pitcher Matsui Strikes Out Ohtani; Strikeout was 100th of Matsui's Major League Career
AP San Diego Padres' Yuki Matsui winds up against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in San Diego. SAN DIEGO — San Diego Padres reliever Yuki Matsui chalked up his 100th career strikeout in the major leagues on Thursday. And what a scalp it was. Matsui fanned Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani for the second out in tossing a scoreless seventh inning of the third and last game of the series between the NL West rivals, won 5-2 by the Dodgers. With one out, Ohtani swung and missed at a low sinker, then again for the third strike at a pitch outside of the strike zone. 'I got ahead in the count, so I didn't need to throw strikes,' Matsui said. As for retiring one of the majors' top sluggers, he added, 'It happens.' Matsui followed by giving up a single to Mookie Betts, but struck out Freddie Freeman to end the inning. Ohtani later tripled in the ninth inning for his lone hit in five at-bats, extending his consecutive hit streak to eight games. This season, his second with the Padres, Matsui has a 2-1 record and 3.25 ERA in 29 games, with 32 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings.
The Mainichi
07-06-2025
- General
- The Mainichi
Elderly resident donates gold worth over $2 million to Nara Pref. city for disaster relief
SAKURAI, Nara -- The municipal government here announced on June 6 that it had received a donation of 20 kilograms of gold -- worth approximately 330 million yen (about $2.28 million) -- from a local man in his 70s, who requested that the funds be used to improve evacuation shelters in times of disaster. According to city officials, the donor contacted Sakurai Mayor Masatake Matsui by letter in early February to express his desire to donate the gold bars. The donation itself was completed on March 17, and the city presented him with an official letter of appreciation on March 28. Matsui expressed gratitude for the generous contribution, saying, "We sincerely appreciate this donation and will ensure it is used meaningfully." The donated gold consisted of 20, 1-kilogram ingots. The donor reportedly accumulated the bars little by little over many years. He decided to give the bars to his city after learning that evacuees struggled with inadequate toilet facilities following the Jan. 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. He expressed hope that the funds would help create a better environment at evacuation shelters for elderly residents and people with disabilities. City officials believe this is likely the largest individual donation to Sakurai. The city plans to seek approval from the municipal assembly to convert the precious metal into cash. (Japanese original by Yasuyoshi Mochizuki, Sakurai Local Bureau)
Kyodo News
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Baseball: Hideki Matsui pays final respects to Nagashima at private viewing
KYODO NEWS - 15 hours ago - 18:04 | Sports, All Former Yomiuri Giant and New York Yankee Hideki Matsui visited the home of Shigeo Nagashima on Wednesday to offer condolences following his former manager's death a day earlier. The 50-year-old Matsui had joined Yomiuri after Nagashima -- affectionately called "Mr. Giants," "Mr. Pro Baseball," or oftentimes just "Mister" -- secured negotiating rights to the slugger in the 1992 draft, soon after returning to management. "The biggest thing is gratitude. Without getting to meet him, baseball player Hideki Matsui would have spent a totally different baseball career," Matsui, who had last met Nagashima in early January, said being given the opportunity to see him in repose at his home. "He drew me at the draft. He taught me precious things through his practice swings." Matsui, who currently resides in the United States, flew back to Japan and made the visit early Wednesday morning, staying at the home for over two hours. "I spent the time recalling many memories. I felt as if his mind was still there and he would open his eyes at any moment," said Matsui, who developed into one of the most feared sluggers in Japan under Nagashima's enthusiastic guidance. A charismatic figure, Nagashima rose to stardom during Japan's era of rapid economic growth, helping Yomiuri win nine consecutive Central League and Japan Series titles from 1965. He was the CL batting champion six times, the home run king twice and the RBI leader and the CL MVP five times each. As Giants manager, he won five pennants, including two Japan Series titles, over 15 seasons spanning two stints before leaving the role in 2001. Matsui, nicknamed "Godzilla," won the CL MVP three times and hit 332 home runs for Yomiuri, claiming the CL pennant three times under Nagashima in 1994, 1996 and 2000 and the Japan Series twice in 1994 and 2000. "We've shared many moments, and I feel I'm a really fortunate person," Matsui said. He joined the Yankees in 2003 and had 175 homers over 10 seasons in the majors, becoming the first Japanese player to win the World Series MVP in 2009 when he hit three homers. Nagashima and Matsui both received the People's Honor Award in 2013, bestowed by then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for outstanding achievements in sports, entertainment and other fields. "We made a promise when he was alive," Matsui said without giving away any details. "I want to fulfill that promise." On Tuesday, MLB offered its condolences on X, saying, "We are saddened by the passing of Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima," alongside a photo and a summary of his career achievements. Former Seattle Mariner and U.S. Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki told Kyodo News that Nagashima's impact is unrivaled. "The reason why people above a certain age wanted to become a baseball player was because of Mr. Nagashima's performance, which was always cool," he said. "His service in letting people know about baseball is immeasurable." "More than anything, he had a dignity nobody could imitate." Related coverage: Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima dead at 89 Tributes to Nagashima pour in from Japanese sports world
