Yankees legend Hideki Matsui played seven seasons for the Yankees. It wasn’t until his final one, in 2009, with the addition of lefty ace CC Sabathia, that he managed to get that elusive World Series ring.
Asked whether the success of Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Hideki Matsui, Yu Darvish and others in MLB helped him make his decision, Morii responded in English: "Yes, of course." Matsui, a three-time MVP of Japan's Central League, played for Oakland in 2011.
The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes has reached its final stage, and the Yankees don’t even have a spot on the podium.
Hoping to become a two-way player in Major League Baseball just like Shohei Ohtani, 18-year-old Shotaro Morii made the rare decision to bypass Japanese professional baseball entirely and agreed Wednesday to a minor league contract with the Athletics that includes a signing bonus of $1,510,500.
Hideki Matsui, Yu Darvish and others in MLB helped him make his decision, Morii responded in English: "Yes, of course." Matsui, a three-time MVP of Japan's Central League, played for Oakland in 2011.
Derek Jeter, Sadaharu Oh and Hideki Matsui were among many to offer their praises Tuesday after former Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki became the first Asian player elected to the U.S. National Baseball Hall of Fame.
“It’s a little sweeter seeing Ichiro join CC in the same Hall of Fame class. Ichiro’s impact on baseball globally cannot be understated. He was one of the most uniquely skilled and talented players to ever play this sport, and I feel incredibly fortunate that his career path landed him in pinstripes.
In the bottom of the eighth inning of the April 11, 2001, game between the Oakland A's and visiting Seattle Mariners, A's outfielder Terrence Long bounced a leadoff single up the middle off Aaron Sele.
The Yankees will have a pair of new representatives in the Baseball Hall of Fame in CC Sabathia and Ichiro Suzuki after the 2025 voting results.
Ichiro Suzuki is all about baseball, but he's much more than that in Japan. Back home, he's a wellspring of national pride.
Expected to be the first Japanese player elected to the Cooperstown on Tuesday, Ichiro is a wellspring of national pride and his fame across the Pacific when he joined MLB was therapeutic for his