Hideki Matsui [mat-SOO-ee] (Japanese: 松井　秀喜) (born June 12, 1974) is a Japanese Major League Baseball left fielder who plays for the New York Yankees. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.

Matsui was born in Neagari, Ishikawa, Japan. He started playing baseball when he was in elementary school, and participated in four National High School Baseball Tournaments at Koshien Stadium, once in the spring and three times in summer, during his high school years. In 1992, he drew five consecutive intentional walks in a game at Koshien and became a nationwide topic in Japan at that time, even though the strategy worked and his team lost. Matsui graduated from Seiryo-Highschool in Ishikawa and was drafted by the Yomiuri Giants in the first round. Based in Tokyo, the Giants are Japan's most famous team.

A three-time MVP in the Japanese Central League, Matsui has been nicknamed "Godzilla", and has generated excitement among fans. He even has made a cameo in a Godzilla film, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla. His hair style has prompted some of his Yankee teammates to jokingly refer to him as "Shemp". Many reporters and photographers have followed him from his home in Tokyo.

Matsui started every game with the Yankees in the 2004 season, extending his streak of consecutive games played to 325. Before that, he played in 1,573 consecutive games with Yomiuri. In the majors, Matsui is a career .292 hitter with 47 home runs and 214 RBI.

Related links

• Japanese baseball
• 2003 World Series
• List of Japanese baseball players
• History of baseball outside the United States

External links

• Hideki Matsui pages at:

ESPN http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=7042

Japanese Baseball http://japanesebaseball.com/players/player.jsp?PlayerID=163

Baseball Reference http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/matsuhi01.shtml