JAPAN: Baseball fans hail Hideki Matsui for his winning the World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) award

Record ID: 464867

  • Title: JAPAN: Baseball fans hail Hideki Matsui for his winning the World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) award
  • Date: 6th November 2009
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (NOVEMBER 5, 2009) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING ON TOKYO STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 23-YEAR-OLD BUSINESSWOMAN, TAKAKO HIGUCHI, SAYING: "I'm very happy as a Japanese." (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 28-YEAR-OLD BUSINESSMAN, RYU MORIKAWA, SAYING: "He was the best player in Japan, and he now represents Japan in the Major Leagues with his great performance. I'm very proud of him." (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE BUSINESSMAN, KATSUO KUBOTA, SAYING: "It's great. I'm a long-time fan of his from when he played for the Yomiuri Giants and after he moved to MLB. I think it's truely awesome." MORE OF PEOPLE WALKING ON TOKYO STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 71-YEAR-OLD BUSINESSMAN AND VICE CHAIR OF ISHIKAWA PREFECTURE CITIZENS' GROUP, KATSUO ITAMOTO, SAYING: "Yankees. Yankees. I want him to stay with the Yankees." PEOPLE WALKING ON TOKYO STREET
  • Embargoed: 21st November 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA76P49O4ORRVRI9FZSP76RL4U8
  • Story Text: Japanese baseball fans in Tokyo cheered enthusiastically on Thursday (November 5) for the World Series' Most Valuable Player, Hideki Matsui.
    Matsui drove in six runs for the New York Yankees in a World Series clinching victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday (November 4). The Yankees beat the Phillies 7-3 to give them a 4-2 series win.
    Matsui became the first Japanese to be named Most Valuable Player of the World Series, batting .615 (8-for-13) with three home runs and eight runs batted in.
    On the Tokyo streets fans said the slugger nicknamed "Godzilla" had been the top player in Japan when he went to Major League Baseball and the Series accomplishment was a fitting achievement.
    "I'm very happy as a Japanese," said 23-year-old businesswoman Takako Higuchi.
    "He was the best player in Japan and now he represents Japan in the Major League with his great performance. I'm very proud of him," said 28-year-old Ryu Morikawa.
    In the Series finale, Matsui belted a two-run homer, hit a two-run double and a two-run single Wednesday (November 4) to lead New York to the championship in their first season at the new Yankee Stadium.
    Matsui, who joined the Yankees in 2003, left the Yomiuri Giants as the most-feared slugger -- and highest paid player -- in Japanese baseball.
    Giants fans said they still followed Matsui, who has recently been plagued by injuries in MLB.
    "It's great. I'm a long-time fan of his from when he played for the Yomiuri Giants and after he moved to MLB. I think it's truely awesome," said businessman Katsuo Kubota, noting he skipped work to watch the game.
    Regarding the media speculations that the Yankees outfielder should join another Japanese baseball hero Ichiro Suzuki in Seattle, a fan said Matsui should remain in Yankees.
    "Yankees. Yankees. I want him to stay with the Yankees," said a 71-year-old Katsuo Itamoto who also said he's from the same province as Matsui and has been a fan of him since he played in the high school tournaments.
    The Japanese slugger drove in six runs in Wednesday's clincher to tie the Series record for most RBIs in one game, matching the mark set by Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson in 1960.
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