MLB: Godzilla quietly gets the job done

CHICAGO--If Hideki Matsui was playing for an obscure team like the Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates or Kansas City Royals, he'd be the toast of the town.

The 33-year-old slugger is that good of a player, and it's not easy to overlook his talent.

But Matsui plays for the New York Yankees, Major League Baseball's most celebrated franchise. His teammates include the American League's best player, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon.

While he's often taken for granted, Matsui has no problem letting his teammates bask in the spotlight.

Now in his sixth season with the Yankees, Godzilla quietly goes out and does his job. Hitting is his calling card, and Matsui has been remarkably consistent since leaving the Yomiuri Giants after the 2002 season following a star-studded career.

Before Thursday night's game against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, Matsui was asked about batting at least .285 and driving in over 100 runs in five of his first six seasons. Matsui appeared in only 51 games in 2006 after breaking his left wrist.

"Maintaining consistency is a big goal that I have," Matsui said. "Every time I go to the plate to hit, I try to take the same approach. I try to keep the same routine for every pitch. That's what I try to do, even though every at-bat is different. But that's who I am."

Actually, Matsui isn't quite himself yet. The outfielder had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in November and he played sparingly in spring training while trying to get back up to speed.

"It's not 100 percent yet, that's for sure," said Matsui, who was 1-for-3 with 2 walks in Thursday night's 7-6 loss to the White Sox. "But little by little, it's getting better. Compared to how it felt late last season, it's feeling a lot better."

Limited to 15 games in spring training, Matsui opened the regular season as New York's No. 8 hitter. That's quite a drop for a proven middle-of-the-order presence.

New Yankees manager Joe Girardi wasn't trying to make Matsui look bad by batting him at the bottom of the lineup.

"We know what he can do," Girardi said. "He's a proven run producer. It was more a matter of making sure he was ready, and not putting him under more pressure than was necessary."

As Matsui showed he was healthy enough to be a factor, he moved up to the No. 7 spot in N.Y.'s lineup, then up to No. 6 and then to his customary No. 5 slot.

With Rodriguez (strained quadriceps) sidelined for all three games in Chicago, Matsui batted in the cleanup spot.

Matsui has also played his usual left field position, as well as right field and designated hitter.

Naturally, he hasn't complained about anything.

"These things happen," Matsui said. "You move around, whether it's on defense or in the lineup. It's obvious that when you're hitting well, you're going to hit higher up in the order. But it doesn't matter where I play or hit. I approach the game the same way. I just try to be consistent and do whatever I can to help the team win."

Scot Gregor covers Major League Baseball for Chicago's Daily Herald.(IHT/Asahi: April 26,2008)