On his 42nd birthday, former New York Yankees outfielder and World Series MVP Hideki Matsui launched a long home run on Old Timers’ Day.
I hope somewhere in Yankee Stadium, play-by-play announcer John Sterling screamed out “it’s a thrilla… by Godzilla” because boy did that home run send the New York Yankees crowd into a frenzy.Sure Hideki Matsui has been out of baseball for four years, but facing off against David Cone, the Japanese Icon used a flick of the wrists to put one into the second deck in right.
Although not official, this is Matsui’s third home run on his birthday joining his 2008 Grand Slam off Joe Blanton and 2009 go-ahead three-run bomb off Jon Switzer.
In his career in New York, Matsui cranked 196 home runs while maintaining a .292 batting average across seven seasons and took home the 2009 World Series MVP honors after going 8-for-13 with three home runs including this clutch RBI double in the deciding game six to put the game, and series, out of reach: