Hideki Matsui announced his retirement yesterday in a Midtown hotel, just a few miles from where he became perhaps the most popular Yankee around the world.
The 38-year-old slugger played seven seasons in The Bronx starting in 2003 after a decade of stardom in Japan.
“Ten years ago, [when he said he was coming to the U.S.], I said I would give it my best,” Matsui said in Japanese during a nearly hour-long press conference. “Today puts a period on that.”
Matsui played a total of 20 professional seasons, the first 10 with the Yomiuri Giants. In the majors, he hit .282 with 175 home runs in stints with the Yankees, Angels, A’s and Rays. He was released by Tampa Bay on Aug. 1 and finished his pro career with 507 combined homers.
Yesterday’s press conference showed again Matsui’s star power. He chose to make the announcement in New York because of his attachment to the city. A room on the 18th floor of the Kitano Hotel was packed with Japanese reporters.
After a 12-minute opening statement, Matsui fielded questions in Japanese and left with a bow to the reporters who had followed him in the U.S. for a decade.
While some teams were interested in him playing next season in Japan, Matsui decided to call it quits.
“During this season, I did not think about retirement, but afterwards, I did,” Matsui said. “I didn’t choose [to keep playing in Japan] because I was not confident I would be able to perform like I did when I left 10 years ago.”
The highlight of his major league career came in 2009, when Matsui was named World Series MVP, hitting .615 with three homers and eight RBIs to help the Yankees beat the Phillies.
“He played with pride, discipline and of course talent, and flourished when the lights were at their brightest,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Derek Jeter called Matsui one of his “favorite” teammates.
And while he always considered the Yomiuri Giants his hometown team, after playing with the Yankees, he felt like he “became part of the family.”
His manager with the Giants, Shigeo Nagashima, told Matsui to “go on and become a player like Joe DiMaggio” and Matsui said “since that day, the New York Yankees were on my mind.”
Matsui knocked in over 100 runs in four of his first five seasons with the Yankees and remained popular with fans and teammates.
He stayed productive at the plate until last season, when he had a hard time finding a job and then hit just .147 with two homers in 95 at-bats for the Rays.
As of now, Matsui has no plans to participate for Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic or take a job in baseball.