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Hideki Matsui 2003 Upper Deck Fortyman Rookie Card
$4.99A beautiful “New Releases” rookie card featuring Hideki Matsui, a.k.a. Godzilla, in his brand-new New York Yankee pinstripes.
In 10 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants, Matsui was Japan’s biggest star. He was NPB’s most feared power hitter from the get-go, swatting 11 home runs in just 57 games as a 19-year-old rookie and then tallying 311 more over the next nine seasons. He was 8x “Best Nine,” 9x an All-Star, a 3x MVP, and led the Giants to Japan Series championships in 1994, 2000, and 2002, winning the Series MVP in 2000. His NPB achievements were immortalized with his induction in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.
After moving to MLB from the Giants in 2003, he more than earned his pinstripes. He was twice an All-Star, twice earned MVP votes, and was the MVP of the 2009 World Series, leading the Yankees to a title over the Philadelphia Phillies. He contributed as a dependable veteran for the Angels, A’s, and Rays before retiring in 2013. His ten years in MLB showed Americans that Japanese players can be power hitters too, and he will go down in history as a beloved hero in two countries. We ranked him as the third-best Japanese import in MLB history.
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Hideki Matsui Custom Art Card
$49.00A unique piece of original art, featuring all-time NPB and Yankees legend Hideki Matsui, a.k.a. Godzilla, in the orange-and-black of the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants.
In 10 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants, Matsui was Japan’s biggest star. He was NPB’s most feared power hitter from the get-go, swatting 11 home runs in just 57 games as a 19-year-old rookie and then tallying 311 more over the next nine seasons. He was 8x “Best Nine,” 9x an All-Star, a 3x MVP, and led the Giants to Japan Series championships in 1994, 2000, and 2002, winning the Series MVP in 2000. His NPB achievements were immortalized with his induction in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.
After moving to MLB from the Giants in 2003, he more than earned his pinstripes. He was twice an All-Star, twice earned MVP votes, and was the MVP of the 2009 World Series, leading the Yankees to a title over the Philadelphia Phillies. He contributed as a dependable veteran for the Angels, A’s, and Rays before retiring in 2013. His ten years in MLB showed Americans that Japanese players can be power hitters too, and he will go down in history as a beloved hero in two countries. We ranked him as the third-best Japanese import in MLB history.
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Hideki Matsui Yomiuri Giants Facsimile Autographed Baseball
$6.99During his NPB career, which ended in 2002 when he left for the New York Yankees, there was simply no bigger star in Japan than Hideki Matsui. Playing for Japan’s most popular team, he was prolific at the plate. He won three Central League MVP awards, three Japan Series titles, and was named to nine consecutive All-Star games. He is one of the few players who could have lived up to his apt nickname – “Godzilla.” After moving to MLB, he more than held his own for the Yankees, Angels, A’s, and Rays; in fact, we ranked him as the third-best Japanese import in MLB history.
Matsui’s NPB career highlights:
- 9× All-Star in his nine full seasons (1994–2002)
- 3× Japan Series champion (1994, 2000, 2002)
- 3× Central League MVP (1996, 2000, 2002)
- Japan Series MVP (2000)
- 8× Best Nine Award (1995–2002)
- Matsutaro Shoriki Award (2000)
- Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inductee (2018)
Matsui’s MLB career highlights:
- 2× All-Star (2003, 2004)
- World Series champion (2009)
- World Series MVP (2009)