Leading Off
Other Asian players who made the leap into the American major leagues
COVER STORY Ichiro Suzuki and Hidetoshi Nakata
The overseas exploits of these superhuman sports stars pump up Japan's deflated ego (April 29, 2002)
Brick City
China's pro basketball players got game, but the CBA can't turn fast breaks into fast bucks (Feb 25, 2002)
China's Hot Shot
In an NBA first, Wang Zhizhi is an instant Sino-U.S. hit (April 16, 2001)
Godzilla V. the Majors
After dominating Japanese baseball for a decade, HIDEKI MATSUI is taking his hefty hitting west
Here's the book on Japanese baseball players in the major leagues. B.I. (Before Ichiro): they can pitch, sure, but don't bother putting a bat in their hands. And here's the book A.I.: they can spray singles and run like waterbugs, but slamming homers? Leave that to the monsters from America.
Japan has a monster of its own—and he's on his way to the States. Hideki Matsui, the best player in Japanese baseball, recently announced that he will leave the Yomiuri Giants for the American major leagues. The 1.85-m, 95-kg Matsui, nicknamed Godzilla, will try to become the first Japanese power hitter to make it in the U.S. "Matsui will be expected to hit balls out of the park," says Japanese homer king Sadaharu Oh. It'll be a familiar role for the left-handed slugger, who hit 332 home runs in 10 seasons for the Giants, including 50 this year. Scouts say the 28-year-old Matsui has a fast swing but lacks Ichiro's samurai-like discipline at the plate. His future peers, however, think Matsui has the right stuff. "As talented as he is, I don't think he'll have to make a lot of major adjustments," says San Francisco Giants' star Barry Bonds.
Teams can begin negotiating with Matsui on Nov. 13 and he has until Jan. 31 to sign. Matsui, who earned a Japanese record $5.1 million last season, is expected to land a salary of $8-10 million per year in America. The Yankees, who last year dispatched assistant general manager Jean Afterman to scout him, are heavy favorites to sign him. "For a long time, I've been watching American baseball on television," said Matsui, who hit .334 last season with a league-high 107 RBIs. "But it was only in recent years that—realistically—I've been thinking about playing there."
For the fans left behind, the departure of the most popular player on Japan's most popular team is a cruel blow. The Giants have never lost a player to the major leagues, and they all but offered him a blank check to stay—yet the slugger still said sayonara. Nevertheless, many Japanese fans will be rooting for Godzilla to conquer America. "It is sad to see that he is leaving Japanese baseball stadiums," said Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. "But I am looking forward to seeing how many homers a Japanese slugger, the home-run king, can hit." Size matters indeed.
