PHILADELPHIA — For the Yankees, the first World Series victory of the Joe Girardi era was not too different from the last two of the Joe Torre era. In all three games, Hideki Matsui drove in the go-ahead run.
Hideki Matsui, a free agent after this season, was not expected to start Game 3 on Saturday because the D.H. was not used. More Photos »
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Matsui homered in the sixth inning of Game 2 on Thursday at Yankee Stadium, pulling the Yankees ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies to stay. In Game 3 of the 2003 World Series, Matsui slapped a single through the left side to break an eighth-inning tie against the Florida Marlins. The game before, Matsui’s three-run homer in the first inning sent the Yankees on their way to a victory.
“If you think about it, he’s been playing on the big stage his whole life, whether it’s here or in Japan,” shortstop Derek Jeter said at Citizens Bank Park on Friday. “I don’t think he’s overwhelmed by anything.”
Matsui was not in the Yankees’ plans to start Game 3 on Saturday because the designated hitter is not used in Philadelphia, and he has not played defense all season. Girardi, the Yankees’ manager, held out the possibility that Matsui could see time in the outfield because his bat is valuable, but fans should get used to a Yankees lineup without him.
Matsui will be a free agent after the World Series, and the Yankees are eager to open up designated hitter as a place to rest veterans like third baseman Alex Rodriguez, catcher Jorge Posada, Jeter and perhaps left fielder Johnny Damon, who is also a free agent. Damon turns 36 on Thursday, and Matsui turns 36 next June.
“I think we both would love to stay,” Damon said Friday. “I think I might understand the free-agency cycle more than he does, and you play it out and come the off-season, I think we’ll know early who’s here and who’s not. If he’s here, there’s a good chance that I’m back still. But regardless of where I am after Nov. 5, I’ll be a happy camper.”
Whatever happens in this World Series, Damon owns a World Series ring from the 2004 Boston Red Sox. Matsui is still seeking his first.
He has become the Mike Mussina of the offense: steadily productive for many Yankees seasons but all since the team’s last title in 2000.
Matsui played in four Japan Series for the Yomiuri Giants, winning in 1994, 2000 and 2002. His greatest highlight in seven seasons as a Yankee, he said, was winning Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series against Boston.
In his postseason career through Game 2 of the World Series, Matsui had a .298 average, a .382 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage. Those were better averages in each category than he has had in the regular season. He was 9 for 29 (.310) in eight World Series games in his career.
“Obviously, I know it’s the World Series, but once the game starts, my mind-set is the same and my approach is the same,” Matsui said through an interpreter Friday.
“I don’t really change anything. In that sense, there’s not really any extra pressure.”
Matsui and Damon showed they were still valuable contributors this season. Damon hit .282 with 24 homers and 82 runs batted in, Matsui .274 with 28 home runs and 90 R.B.I. Each had an on-base percentage above .360 and, as usual, they were adept at hitting left-handers and right-handers.
The concern about bringing back Matsui is not his production. There is no question that he can still hit, and he remains the epitome of professionalism, working diligently without complaint.
It is strictly about roster flexibility. The Yankees have Rodriguez, Posada and Jeter under contract for next season, with a new deal for Jeter, who also turns 36 next June, looming. The designated hitter spot could be vital to keeping them all healthy and maximizing their effectiveness.
The Yankees will probably try to retain Damon on a short-term contract, though his agent, Scott Boras, could counter by reminding the Yankees that they gave Posada a four-year contract at the same age.
Damon said in August that he would not want a long-term deal to play for a losing team. But if negotiations drag and Matsui’s demands are lower, the Yankees could turn to him and hope he could play the outfield after a full year of resting his surgically repaired knees.
For Matsui and the Yankees, though, it is an issue for another day. They have more pressing concerns for now, and Matsui has no interest in predicting his future.
“As far as the contract, I’m not really paying attention to that,” he said. “The only thing I have in my head is winning this series, that’s it.”
