EL1 Trenton Thunder

New York Yankee star Hideki Matsui to rehab in Trenton

Published on September 4, 2006 under Eastern League (EL1)
Trenton Thunder News Release


(Trenton, NJ)- The Trenton Thunder, Double A affiliate of the New York Yankees have confirmed that OF Hideki Matsui is scheduled to make a rehabilitation appearance on September 6th and 7th as the Thunder host the second place team in the Eastern League Northern Division Championship Series. The appearance is contingent on the weather and other factors.

Matsui has been with the New York Yankees since the 2003 season and has a Major League career.295 batting average with 75 HR and 349 RBI. He was batting .261 with five HR and 19 RBI before being placed on the Disabled List with a left wrist fracture on May 11. In 2005, he hit a Major League career-high .305 (192-for-629) with 108 runs, 45 doubles, 23 HR and 116 RBIs in 162 games.

Matsui is one of the most celebrated players in Japanese Major League Baseball history. In Matsui's final season playing in Japan (2002), he won his third Central League Most Valuable Player Award, batting a career high .334 (167-for-500) with a league-leading and career-best 50 HR for the Yomiuri Giants.

He is a three-time home run and RBI champ (1998, 2000 and 2002). Matsui began a 1,250 consecutive-games played streak in 1994 that became the longest such streak among active players and second only to that of the Japanese "Iron Man" Sachiyo Kinugasa (2,215). In 22 career All-Star Series games, he batted .321 (25-for-78) with 8 HR and 18 RBI. Matsui made nine consecutive All-Star appearances, beginning in 1994 at the age of 20.

He was honored with the Golden Spirit Award in 1999 and 2000, given to the Japanese Professional Baseball Player that combines on-field accomplishments and off-field service in the community. He was chosen as the No. 1 draft pick in 1992 by the Yomiuri Giants and led them to four Japan Series, winning three (1994, 2000, and 2002). In 21 career Japan Series games, Matsui batted .286 with 4 HR and 14 RBI.

The Thunder will play the final game of the 2006 regular season on Monday, September 4 at 1:35. The team will then host Northern Division Championship Series Games #1 and #2 on Wednesday, September 6 and Thursday, September 7. Game three and four (if necessary) will be played on the road at the second place team.

Check out the Trenton Thunder Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Eastern League Stories from September 4, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central