“Taught Judge at the Yankees”: “Godzilla” Matsui Returns to His Alma Mater Yomiuri as Manager After 24 Years… Inherits Mentor Nagashima’s Jersey Number “90”

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

“Godzilla” has finally returned home. Matsui Hideki (52), who gained coaching experience by mentoring prospects including Aaron Judge (34) at the New York Yankees after his retirement from active duty, will return to his alma mater, the Yomiuri Giants, for the first time in 24 years to take the helm.

Matsui was inaugurated as the 21st manager of Yomiuri on the 23rd, stating, “I recalled the time I left Yomiuri by my own will 24 years ago. It feels like coming home,” and added, “I want to start here today so that a new golden era can arrive.”

Previously, Yomiuri officially announced Matsui’s appointment as the new manager. The contract term is three years, and his jersey number is 90. This is the first time Matsui has worn the Yomiuri uniform since his final active season in 2002. After moving to the United States as a free agent (FA) in 2003 and joining the New York Yankees, he played for the LA Angels, Oakland Athletics, and Tampa Bay Rays before retiring at the end of 2012. Playing between Japan and the United States, he recorded 2,643 hits and 507 home runs in a career total of 2,504 games. In 2009, he led the Yankees to a World Series championship and was named World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Matsui’s coaching career began in earnest not in Japan, but in the United States. After retiring, Matsui served as an interim coach at the Yankees’ spring training before being appointed as a special advisor to the team’s General Manager (GM) in 2015. He subsequently toured the organization’s minor league affiliates to evaluate prospects and coached players alongside managers and hitting coaches. The fact that he gained long-term experience in player development within the Yankees system without going through the typical coaching track of Japanese professional baseball is a unique background for the new manager.

A representative player he met during this process was Judge, who later grew into a home run hitter representing Major League Baseball. At the time, Judge, who was in the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, received hitting advice from Matsui. Japanese media Sponichi reported, “Matsui’s start as a coach was with the Yankees. For example, Judge once said, ‘Matsui taught me how to control my swing using my lower body.’”

Yomiuri, which called in such a Matsui, experienced significant ups and downs this season. This year, Yomiuri played the season under acting manager Hishigami Hideki (60) starting from May 26 due to the sudden resignation of former manager Abe Shinnosuke (47). Despite this, they performed well, finishing the first half tied for first place with the Hanshin Tigers.

The championship race fluctuated in the second half. In particular, Yomiuri lost all six matchups against Hanshin in August, ceding the lead. In September, they rebounded with a 13-8 record and at one point closed the gap to no games behind, but failed to overcome the final hurdle. Ultimately, they finished the regular season in second place in the Central League with a record of 76 wins, 3 draws, and 64 losses, a winning percentage of .543, trailing Hanshin by 2.5 games.

It was even more disappointing in the postseason. In the Climax Series (CS) First Stage held at home in Tokyo Dome, they faced third-place Yokohama DeNA BayStars but lost consecutively with scores of 1-2 in Game 1 and 1-4 in Game 2. They managed to score only two runs across the two games and were eliminated without a single victory.

What was even more painful was that their ill fate with Yokohama continued for a third consecutive year. Yomiuri had lost two straight games to Yokohama in the CS Final Stage when they won the league championship in 2024, and in the First Stage last year. Through this year, they have been eliminated from the postseason by the same team for three years in a row. Their bid for a Japan Series championship, which would have been their first in 14 years since 2012, was also thwarted again.

Immediately after that, Matsui was the card Yomiuri chose. The jersey number also holds special significance. While Matsui’s symbol during his playing days was number 55, he chose number 90 as a manager. Number 90 is the number worn by the late Nagashima Shigeo, his lifelong benefactor, when he first took office as Yomiuri manager in 1975.

After Manager Nagashima directly drew Matsui’s negotiation rights through a lottery following competition among four teams in the 1992 rookie draft, the two maintained a mentor-student relationship representing Japanese baseball. When Nagashima passed away last year, Matsui revealed that he had made a “promise” with his mentor during his lifetime.

Matsui also recalled his benefactor at his inauguration press conference. In response to reporters’ question about what Manager Nagashima would say if he saw him now, Matsui smiled and said, “‘You’re late,’ wouldn’t you agree?” He added, “He must have been waiting for this moment more than anyone else.” Nevertheless, he emphasized, “I cannot become Nagashima Shigeo. Mr. Nagashima is Mr. Nagashima, and I will focus on what I can do.”

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original