ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Hideki Matsui took a meaty cut, watched the ball fly and winced when it hooked a foot foul.
That’s about all that went wrong for him.
Matsui put the world in World Series MVP, earning the award by homering, doubling, singling and driving in six runs Wednesday night as the New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 to claim their 27th championship.
Matsui became the first Japanese-born player to win the award that started in 1955. He hit .615 (8 for 13) with three home runs and eight RBIs. His performance in Game 6 matched the record for RBIs in a Series game. No one, however, had done it in a clincher.
“It’s awesome,” Matsui said through a translator. “Unbelievable. I’m surprised myself.”
Standing on a podium in shallow center field, Matsui waved his new championship hat and shook hands with commissioner Bud Selig. Matsui won three titles in Japan and was eager to celebrate his first in the Bronx.
“I guess it’s hard to make a comparison. When I was in Japan, that was the ultimate goal. Being here, winning the World Series, becoming world champions, that’s what you strive for here.”
“You could say that I guess this is the best moment of my life right now,” he said. “It’s been a long road and very difficult journey.”
Matsui’s two-run drive off Pedro Martinez in the second inning put the Yankees ahead for good. Nicknamed “Godzilla” back home, Matsui sent a shot to right field that banged off an advertisement on the facing of the second deck — fittingly, it was a sign for the Japanese company Komatsu, which makes mining and construction equipment.
After his hard foul, Matsui added a two-run single in the third and lined a two-run double off the right-center field wall in the fifth. The giant videoboard in center field showed fans holding Japanese signs and while the sellout crowd roared, he stood placidly at second base.
Fans cheered when Matsui’s feat, matching Bobby Richardson’s 1960 mark for RBIs in any Series game, was posted on the scoreboard.
Matsui drew a standing ovation when he came to bat in the seventh, and chants of “MVP! MVP!” bounced around the ballpark.
“He hit everything we threw up there,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.
Baseball
Matsui becomes 1st Japanese-born World Series MVP
- Baseball
-
-
Ortiz leads Red Sox in comeback victory
David Ortiz homered in the sixth inning to start Boston's comeback from a three-run deficit, and the Red Sox got three hits from Will Middlebrooks in an 8-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
-
Salisbury loses in District playoffs
Evan Appleby hit a grand slam on top of throwing a complete game to lead McConnellsburg past Salisbury by a score of 14-3 in the first round of the Pennsylvania District 5 Playoffs.
-
Jones’ dozen strikeouts leads Lakeview
Lakeview Auto Parts rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh and pitcher Trevon Jones struck out 12 in pitching a complete-game five-hitter in a 6-2 Hot Stove Baseball League win over previously undefeated Riverside Sports Monday at Bel Air Field.
-
Strietbeck leads Mountain Ridge to region crown
Dan Strietbeck kept Manchester Valley’s bats quiet and Mountain Ridge scrapped its way to four runs to win the Maryland Class 1A West Region baseball title with a 4-1 victory Friday evening at McCurdy Field in Frederick.
-
Harrison single ends Verlander no-hit bid in 9th
Justin Verlander came within two outs of his third no-hitter, allowing only Josh Harrison’s ninth-inning single in the Detroit’s 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.
-
Wood gets final strikeout, retires after 13-plus seasons
Kerry Wood arrived in the majors 14 years ago, a fresh-faced kid with No. 34 on his back, slinging fastballs at 100 mph, delivering breaking pitches that were often unhittable and striking out 20 batters in just his fifth start.
-
Miners upset Northern on Malone, Mills homers, 7-3
Mountain Ridge added three runs to a 4-3 lead during the top of the sixth inning to pull away from top-seeded Northern as the No. 2 Miners played their way into the Maryland 1A West Region finals with a 7-3 win Wednesday at Northern.
-
LaRoche, Gonzalez lead Nats past Bucs
Adam LaRoche broke open a tight game with a three-run double for his 1,000th career hit after homering for No. 999, and Gio Gonzalez took over the NL strikeout lead from teammate Stephen Strasburg by fanning 10 in seven innings Wednesday night, leading the Washington Nationals past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4.
-
Lakeview’s Jones, Yommer team up to no-hit Young’s Unlimited
Trevon Jones and Logan Yommer teamed for a five-inning no-hitter to lead Lakeview Auto Parts to an 11-1 win over Young’s Unlimited in Hot Stove League action Wednesday at Hamilton Field.
-
Pirates beat Marlins, 3-2
Brad Lincoln pitched six innings to earn a victory in his first start of the season Monday, and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended a streak of eight consecutive losses against the Marlins by winning 3-2.
- More Baseball Headlines
-

