That was after winning the World Series in , when I visited the restaurant I always used to go to. But that day was different. As soon as I entered the restaurant, all the customers stood up and applauded me. While I was surprised at the unusual response, I was very pleased with the memory of thinking, Wow, you really do know me! Take the day of Game 2 of the World Series. Even though I had left early with plenty of time to drive to the game, I was caught in an unexpected traffic jam caused by an accident or something.
At this rate, I would be too late to practice before the game started. At that moment, a police officer who always worked as security at Yankee Stadium happened to pass by on a police bike and noticed me. Are you O. Follow me. This episode is just one example, but New York is a city where there are many people who warmly reach out to those in need.
That was the case before my move to the Tampa Bay Rays in It was the people of New York who saved me from such a predicament. I was very thankful for the offer. For the first time in my life of baseball, which had been so blessed until then, I was an unsigned player with no place to practice.
For me, the first seven years I spent with the Yankees were great. I have never once cried in all the years of my baseball life. There was only one time I almost cried on the field. It happened at the championship ring ceremony, which was held before the opening game the year after the Yankees won the world championship for the first time in nine years. Yankee Stadium was jam-packed with fans before the game, and the ceremony began in a grand fashion.
Championship rings were to be handed out to the famous Yankees who had contributed to a world championship on the same stage where legendary players such as Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford had also been invited. Then, after captain Derek Jeter, the last player on the first base side, came out from the bench and received his ring, an announcement was heard in a loud voice:. Yes, I was attending this ceremony as an Angels player on the third base side.
During the off-season in after I became a world champion, I signed with the Angels without pursuing any negotiations to stay with the Yankees. I loved the Yankees and wearing the pinstripes was truly a joy for me. My honest feelings were that I wanted to continue playing as a member of the Yankees.
That was simply it. However, it was a different matter whether the Yankees actually needed my services or not. At that time, there were various feelings about that decision. Ultimately, I thought I had to make the decision to take a new step, accepting the reality that I could not return. I changed my mind firmly and started the season as a member of the Angels, and the ring ceremony was held under those circumstances.
And my name was called last. From the stands filled with Yankees fans, crackling cheers, a huge applause, and standing ovations arose. At that moment, all the emotions I had suppressed came overflowing at once. I was about to tear up on the field for the first time ever.
In addition, a tremendous surprise awaited shortly after receiving the championship ring from manager Girardi. The Yankees, who lined up neatly between first base and second base, rushed around me all at once.
It was like the moment I hit a walk-off home run. A red uniform surrounded by pinstripe uniforms. It was a stylish surprise that my former teammates thought of for their old friend. The Yankees and New York gave me the greatest gift after playing for them for seven years and becoming a world champion. Actually, there is more to this story…. That part is a little sad. When Matsui came out of high school 25 years ago as a feared slugger, there seemed virtually no chance he would fail to make it all the way to the top.
But the story that goes with his rise to stardom is the long hours he spent as a young pro, sweating and working under the tutelage of famed Giants star Shigeo Nagashima, his first manager. So when Matsui is working with youngsters in the Yankees' system, does it bring his own unique apprenticeship to mind? I have to match my guidance to their norms.
To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox, subscribe here. Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription. Matsui L gets ready to congratulate Carlos Santana after his three-run homer in Game 1 of the Japan All-Star Series He now lives in New York with his wife and two children, while working for the Yankees' front office as a batting adviser in their minor league system. But through the Yankees he is never far from the game.
Tweets by TwitterDev. My guess is that deep down Hideki resents the Yankees for not at least giving him a chance to play the outfield. He realizes that at DH the Yankees are crowded with older players who need the rest from the field, but if he could fill in once in a while in the field it would make a big difference.
Let's face it, could he be much worse then Nick Swisher? Another guess is that he was insulted that the Yankees wanted to give Damon the first shot and Hideki would be sloppy seconds. Godzilla does not have to play second fiddle to any man. In any event this puts the Yankees in a bit of a pickle.
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