Japanese fans celebrate Matsui's MVP performance

The best clutch hitter I've ever seen. With men on base, Matsui nearly always comes through.

Now EXTEND HIS CONTRACT, Yankees!! I need at least another year of Godzilla in pinstripes.

Great job Godzilla! Sure, Ichiro gets all the press and accolades - but for mine, I'd much rather watch Matsui.

Now EXTEND HIS CONTRACT, Yankees!! I need at least another year of Godzilla in pinstripes.

Unfortunately for Yankees fans, Matsui has been a huge Hanshin fan since he was a kid. When Yomiuri picked him out of the High School draft Matsui cried his eyes out. He will end his career at Koshien.

the Hanshin Tigers, the fierce Central League rivals of the Giants.

Wrong. That Yomiuri newspaper club are the rivals of the great Hanshin Tigers.

At least they didn't choose the Drug Usedrs (Pettite, A-Rod) or the Boozer (Chaimberlain)...and as much as I think Matsui isn't even a close second to Ichiro, he did prove clutch in the Series....

He's clutch. He doesn't take a practice swing before the real one, and he's honed his swing since at least 17-18, probably before. I remember watching him in his rookie year with the Giants. The annoucners fawned over him to a degree that made me sick, but the guy never bought into it, and kept his cool for his beloved swing. This MVP is the result. Though I think he's a boring interview and we all know about his looks, great going GODZILLA, you really have shown your talent to blossom!

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. I remember how after every season, he would remain adamant that his dream was to win a championship with the Yankees. Never heard him say anything bad about anyone or anything, nor complain about anything. In some eyes that may seem boring, but to me that is being a true professional. All he ever did was to come to work, do his job, and play hard. Congrats to Matsui!

Great accomplishment! But can the guy not make a comment in English? Just a few words?

Great accomplishment! But can the guy not make a comment in English? Just a few words?

I think if Matsui or Ichiro or someone of their stature said anything in English, that would immediately become the headline in every tabloid, and they would have to explain what they said, how they said it, etc., for a long time afterwards. From all I hear, Ichiro speaks English fine but you never see him speak it in public. Matsui seemed to understand the general questions being asked of him, but it would be more trouble than its worth to speak in English.

Also, I never knew Matsui was a Hanshin fan. That makes me feel better about liking a guy whose only two professional teams have been the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers. There is no way Matsui does not end his career at Yomiuri, though. Yomiuri doesn't advertise at Yankee stadium thinking Matsui is going to leave the Giants organization when he comes back to Japan.

Congratulations to Matsui for the best World Series hitting performance that I have seen in a long, long time! Most deserving of the series MVP. George get ready to put the satchel down if you want to keep the best clutch DH next year!

Incredible performance. Give him a 1 yr contract with the Yanks, and then let him finish out in Japan.

Business Leaders will celebrate it today and TSE will go up and economists will boast billions of yen in trade.

Being from Washington State, I'm hoping the Seattle Mariners owner signs Matsui. Ichiro and Matsui on the same team. That'd be SWEET.

Aloha. Matsui is amazing athlete and samurai with his skill with the stick called baseball bat. He is respected throughout the baseball world as is Ichiro. I think that it would be good for him to return to Japan.. as he can not top his swan song being MVP and World Series Champion with the Yankees. It is good to leave a winner and always have people remember you at your best.. he can make up the millions he would get from playing in America.. easily endorsing Panasonic or Toyota and enjoying the love of Japan which should honor this great ambassador for Japanese people, country and culture.

Although business-wise, it would be an almost obvious move for the Yankee organization, Matsui will definitely be missed by New York fans.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/11/05/2009-11-05_harper_hideki_matsui.html

From an article in the New York Daily News:

"surely Cashman and the Yankees will think hard before they actually let Matsui go off and play somewhere else. Bad knees and all, he's as tough in the clutch as anyone in the Yankee lineup, and he hits lefties as well as righties." "Matsui has also been all class since coming over from Japan in 2003, always putting team concerns ahead of his own." After his MVP ceremony, Matsui was obviously elated, but typically talked more about the team than himself. "This is what I came over here for, to win a championship," he said. "Winning the championship means everything to me."

If it were anybody else, I'd blow off this talk about Matsui coming back right away, but seeing how the Japanese Mind Set is so invariably different from everywhere else (other players wouldn't stop at one championship - Michael Jordan, anyone?) all bets are off. I wouldn't be surprised if he came back to a conquoring hero's welcome, able to name his price for any team...