Yankees and the Hall of Fame: Hideki Matsui
- James Vlietstra
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
by James Vlietstra
***
Over the next many months, I am going to review the credentials of several former Yankees.
With all that being said, I am going to review the credentials of several former Yankees. Together, we can discuss if we believe that they are deserving of being included in the Hall Of Fame or not. I hope you read along and give me your opinions over the next several weeks.
Note - Some people currently in the Hall Of Fame are not specifically in for their merits as a player alone. For instance, Joe Torre didn't get in until after his success as a manager. Phil Rizzuto made it after a career as an announcer. Overall, their careers were definitely deserving. Similarly, Bill Mazeroski was generally considered a light hitting middle infielder, however, one iconic moment got him enshrined. I am including some of these type players too for us to discuss.
Today we are going to be discussing:
Hideki Matsui
He played the first seven years of his ten year MLB career with the Yankees.
He was a two time All Star and won the World Series MVP in the 2009 championship season.
However, his time in America only tells a small part of his professional career. Prior to his arrival in the States, he played ten professional seasons in Japan.
Nicknamed "Godzilla", he was one of the first major stars to come to play in the USA. At the time, his picture was on Airplanes.
He was a nine time Japan All Star and three time Japan Series winner, including an MVP.
Between the two leagues, he had a consecutive game streak of 1,768 games.
In total, over his 20 year career, he had 2,643 hits, 1,557 Runs, 507 HRs, 1,649 RBIs, 1,391 BBs, 4,714 TBs, and 1,029 XBHs.
In 2018, his only year on the ballot, he only received four votes.
