Hideki Matsui is a Japanese Major League Baseball player. He is a left fielder best known for playing with the New York Yankees. Hideki Matsui bats left-handed and throws right-handed.
Hideki Matsui was born in Neagari, Ishikawa, Japan on June 12, 1974. That town later merged with the town of Nomi, Ishikawa. In elementary school he began playing baseball. According to reports, he originally batted right handed but he was so good that his brother and friends wouldn't play with him unless he hit left handed. Soon, he was a powerful left handed hitter as well. While in high school, he participated in four National High School Baseball Tournaments. In 1992 he was intentionally walked five times in one game. His team ultimately lost that contest. Hideki Matsui graduated from Seiryo High School.
After high school, he was drafted by the Yomiuri Giants who were based in Tokyo. They are Japan's most famous baseball team and most successful franchise. He became the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Japanese Central League three times (1996, 2000 and 2002), led his team to four Japan Series and helped them win the Series three times (1994, 2000 and 2002). He was also voted into nine all star games, led the league in home runs and runs batted in. In 2002 he hit 50 home runs in the season.
In 2003 he signed a three year contract with the New York Yankees. He became the first Yankee to hit a grand slam in his first game at Yankee Stadium. In 2006, Hideki Matsui signed a new contract for $52 million for four years, making him the highest paid Japanese baseball player in America. The contract locks him in as a Yankee through 2009.