Hideki Matsui heard the appreciation from the fans. And he felt the affection from his former teammates.
Now an Angel, the beloved Matsui was back in The Bronx for yesterday’s Yankees home opener to face his old team, but he also participated in the ring ceremony.
In a classy tribute, Matsui was introduced last, receiving louder cheers than anyone. And his former Yankees mates came over to hug and greet him.
“He deserves it. The fans gave him a standing ovation,” Derek Jeter said. “Matsui played here for seven years. He played hard and he came to work every day. He’s a favorite amongst all the players.”
Added Mariano Rivera, “A wonderful man, a tremendous player. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him.”
“After being around Hideki for spring training and now the first week of the season, you can see how well he’s respected,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
Last year’s World Series MVP, affectionately known as Godzilla, admitted he got “a bit emotional” before his introduction. He said he was stunned by the Yankees hugging him and said he was floored by the Bronx faithful’s effusive ovation.
“I was very deeply moved by that moment,” he said of the cheers. “It’s something I did not anticipate at all. It’s something I’ll remember forever.”
While Matsui was honored, he was also victimized by a Yanks prank. When the team handed out the rings, Matsui didn’t get the real hardware. Rather, the Yanks put a phony ring in his box, an imposter that was given away at the end of spring training.
Matsui had no idea because he didn’t open his box to check out the ring. He said he didn’t know he had a fake one until Joe Girardi handed him the real jewelry later.
“I wasn’t aware of it. If I had been, I’d probably not have allowed it. It’s a sacred moment,” Brian Cashman said. “But you saw the love with this team and how they swarmed Matsui and how much they care.”
“Knowing Matsui,” Jeter said, “he probably appreciated the fake one, too.”
Matsui didn’t have a strong performance on the field, going 0-for-5 and popping out against Rivera to end the game. But he is off to a strong start this season, hitting .312 with two homers and five RBIs in eight games.
“It’s been really a smooth transition,” he said.
Additional reporting by Brian Costello, George A. King III and Kevin Kernan.