Several hours before Game 6 of the World Series, I called a friendly Yankees’ source and asked about the team’s plans for Hideki Matsui, who can be a free agent this month. I inquired because I had been asked to participate with two other reporters in a discussion of Matsui.
We met at a restaurant across the street from Yankee Stadium with a Japanese journalist, Daisuke Sugiura, who was working on a piece about Matsui for Slugger, a Japanese magazine. His timing could not have been more perfect.
In the ensuing hours Matsui powered the Yankees to a 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies and the Yankees’ 27th World Series championship.
In the last game of his four-year, $52 million contract and seventh season with the Yankees, Matsui cracked a two-run home run and a two-run single in successive innings. They were two of the three hits the Yankees stroked against Pedro Martinez in his four-inning outing and produced all of the runs the wily veteran pitcher allowed.
But Matsui was not finished. Batting against J.A. Happ, the Phillies’ third pitcher, in the fifth inning, Matsui walloped a double to deep center field, driving in yet another pair of runs for a 7-1 lead.
Not in nearly half a century – 49 years, to be exact – had anyone knocked in six runs in a World Series game. Bobby Richardson, who played for the Yankees in the 1960 World Series and was named the most valuable player, is the only other player to drive in six in a Series game.
Matsui is now the only player to drive in six runs for a World Series winner. You’ll recall that the Yankees lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1960 World Series, which marked my crossover from Pirates’ fan to professional reporter.
As the Yankees’ 35-year-old designated hitter, Matsui batted a Series-high .615, hit 3 home runs and drove in 8 runs. For his performance, he was named the Series most valuable player, the first Japanese player to win it.
His timing could not have been better. His contract expired the minute the World Series ended, and he can file for free agency through Nov. 19.
One of the issues we discussed at our Matsui session was his immediate future. Daisuke (pronounced same as Matsuzaka’s first name) asked us if we thought that Matsui would return to the Yankees or might he go elsewhere. The other two reporters said they thought he would go to Baltimore because the Orioles would be looking for a hitter of his productive talents and they might be willing to give him more years in a contract than the Yankees.
I, on the other hand, said I would be surprised if he left the Yankees. Why do I think that?
Before going to our roundtable discussion, I did a little homework. I called my source and asked what the team’s plans were for Matsui. The source said the Yankees would like to re-sign him. They should be even more eager to do so after Game 6.
There is an argument to be made that the Yankees will have a problem with their decision on Matsui because they will also have Johnny Damon as a free agent. Damon turned 36 the day after Game 6 and has looked more and more like a candidate for a designated hitter role.
Matsui, with his surgical left knee, has been restricted to that same role. He didn’t play any of his 158 games in the field this year. Nearly 14 months after his operation he was still not in the outfield.
Can the Yankees afford to have both Matsui and Damon? Most people say no. My source said yes. “Don’t believe that stuff about how we can’t sign both,” he said.
It remains to be seen if they do, but one thing we know: Matsui is now a genuine Yankees’ hero. He was responsible for returning the World Series championship to Yankee Stadium, the new Yankee Stadium for the start of a new tradition, and the fans won’t soon forget it.
On his ninth day as a member of the Yankees in 2003, Matsui hit a grand slam off Joe Mays that beat Minnesota. It was called the “short heard round the world.” His home run off Martinez could be called the “shot heard round the World Series.”
During his seven years with the Yankees, Matsui has been a consistent clutch hitter. He certainly came through in the clutch for Daisuke and his magazine article.
“We decided to do this because this is the final year of Matsui’s contract and we thought it’s good time to review his MLB career. And also his FA [free agent] status is huge topic for Japanese sports fan,” Daisuke said in an e-mail response to my question.
“His being MVP may affect Larry and Joe’s opinion that they don’t think the Yankees resign him, so I am going to ask them later by e-mail. Guess I don’t have to ask you twice since you already thought they should keep him.”
Matsui’s price, of course, went up with each of his six runs batted in Wednesday night, but the Yankees will work out a deal with his agent, Arn Tellem, who signed and later re-signed Mike Mussina with the Yankees as a free agent and also signed Jason Giambi with them as a free agent. The key element to a new deal will most likely be length of contract rather than money.
Among other reasons this World Series and post-season will be memorable for the Yankees, besides Matsui’s one-man performance in Game 6, is the emergence of Alex Rodriguez as a post-season hitter. He batted .365 in all three series, and he drove in many critical runs.
The same cannot be said for the disappointing and disappointed losers, the former defending World Series champions. A reader wrote to say that “ýou got carried away” on the column earlier this week about the Phraudulent Phillies. I don’t think so. Game 6 more than proved my point about the imposters.
When they were tied or behind, which turned out to be the entire game, the Phillies had 6 hits in 30 at-bats (.200), giving them a Series total in such situations of 24 for 114 (.211).
Batting in a tied or trailing game, Jimmy Rollins had 3 hits in 16 at-bats (.188), Shane Victorino 3 in 14 (.214), Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz 3 in 13 (.231), Raul Ibanez 3 in 12 (.250), Jayson Werth 1 in 9 (.111) and Chase Utley 4 in 15 (.267). Only Carlos Ruiz hit well in trying to spur the Phillies to rediscover their season-long resilience, getting 4 hits in 9 at-bats (.444).
The Phillies did not produce as advertised. That’s why they are former defending champions. The Yankees are the new World Series champions, climbing Mount Matsui to plant their flag.
