Hideki
Matsui
Hideki Matsui, the greatest
power hitter that Japan has ever produced, was born on June 12th, 1974.
Matsui started playing
baseball as an elementary school student, originally as a right-handed batter.
As he began to overpower his older brother and friends, they forced him to bat
left-handed. Within time, Matsui became so strong as a left-handed batter that
he decided to bat from the left side for the rest of his playing days.
In Japan, Hideki is well
respected by the masses. His reputation is that of a humble and hard working
athlete who never loses his temper. Matsui attributes his emotional poise to
a public slapping that he received from his junior high school baseball coach
after Hideki threw his bat down in disgust after an opposing pitcher intentionally
walked him. By all accounts, he has not lost his temper in public since that
incident.
As a young player, Hideki
routinely took 800 practice swings every day to refine the mechanics of his
quiet swing and build strength through his arms, shoulders, torso, and legs.
Many reporters in Japan and New York have commented on how rough and calloused
Hideki's hands are, evidence of the countless hours that have gone into developing
his strength.
Baseball purists love his
hitting mechanics. His quiet swing and stance are a big part of the reason why
he is able to hit for both power and average.
Hideki played for the Yomiuri
Giants in Japan for 10 years before joining the Yankees. In his final year with
the Giants, his salary was approximately 5.1 million dollars, the most ever
for a baseball player in Japan. It is thought that he made roughly the same
amount in endorsements.
Assuming that Hideki made
an average annual salary (including endorsements) of 5 million dollars per year
over his ten years in Japan, he is likely to reach the 200 million mark in total
money earned by the time his playing days are over. When his first six years
with the Yankees are over with, he will have earned 73 million dollars in salary,
not including bonuses and endorsements.
It is estimated that Hideki
Matsui's presence on the New York Yankees brings the city of New York 500 million
dollars of tourist income per year.
Yes, Hideki is a wealthy
man. But he is also known to be very generous. He donated 500,000.00
to the 2004 Tsunami relief efforts. He also refuses to charge
admission to the Hideki Matsui House of Baseball, a museum in
his honor that is located in his hometown of Neagari.
