World Series | MVP Hideki Matsui reigns over Japan

TOKYO — For many Japanese, Hideki Matsui is a man of contradictions — a towering hulk with a sensitive heart, a player of fierce self-discipline known for lewd jokes and a national hero who refuses to play for his country at international tournaments, much to the chagrin of his home fans.

For this baseball-loving nation, Matsui's performance at the World Series on Wednesday — hitting a home run, tying a World Series record with six runs batted in and being named MVP — sent a clear message. It put a Japanese player and the Japanese game on the American baseball map more firmly than any compatriot's performance did.

"Matsui's one-man show!" an early headline proclaimed after the New York Yankees' victory. "Unstoppable Matsui goes wild on the field," another read.

"When Matsui does well, he helps win recognition for Japanese baseball," said Suguru Egawa, a baseball commentator and former pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants, Matsui's former team. "Now, the world knows the Japanese aren't just good at playing ball — they're power hitters, too."

In many ways, Japan has been waiting for the 6-foot-2 Matsui, who dominated his generation of players in Japan, to go wild in America.

In an oft-repeated story, a young Matsui switched to left-handed pitching and hitting so that youths playing against him would have more of a chance.

He burst into the national consciousness at a high-school tournament in 1992 when, after a barrage of home runs, a pitcher walked him intentionally in five consecutive at-bats. The incident sparked a controversy over unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of the pitcher — but also underlined that Matsui was in a league of his own.

Matsui has often been overshadowed by his compatriot, Ichiro, the sweet-swinging Mariners hitter. Matsui skipped the World Baseball Classic tournaments this year and in 2006 to concentrate on the Yankees — much to Japanese disappointment — while Ichiro returned to lead Japan to two consecutive world titles.

But after Wednesday's World Series triumph, Matsui is, at least for now, bigger than Ichiro.

"Ichiro is great, but you gotta give it to Matsui for being a cleanup batter in a star-studded team like the Yankees," said Masayuki Kakefu, a former third baseman for the Hanshin Tigers and Matsui's childhood idol. "Matsui's MVP holds great weight for all of Japan."

Egawa, the sportscaster, added, "I don't think anyone cares about Matsui not coming back to play anymore."

Back in New York, where Matsui plays next year is in question.

How sentimental do the Yankees get? Do they keep Matsui, 35, a player who is limited to being the designated hitter and thus may not be best suited to their visions of roster flexibility on the basis of 13 at-bats in the World Series?

"We'll get together and have our meeting, which we haven't done yet, and line the board up and make the best decisions we think are right for us and hope they work," general manager Brian Cashman said. "But he's been a remarkable player for us and we're proud of him. When he came over from Japan, he ended with a championship, and I'm glad he got one for us, too. And who knows what the future is going to bring? But that's not for now. For now is to enjoy and celebrate."

After the celebrations end with the parade through Manhattan today, the Yankees will also have decisions to make on Johnny Damon and Andy Pettitte, both of whom also played major roles in this 27th World Series title.

In earlier times, the Yankees were apt to keep a winning combination intact. George Steinbrenner, in particular, was loathe to letting players go who performed in the clutch the way Matsui did Wednesday night.

But Cashman and the Yankees have been studying winning organizations, and took note of the Red Sox's willingness to let popular players go from their 2004 champions and the role those hard decisions played in winning again in 2007. So bringing back Matsui, Damon or Pettitte is no lock.

Note

• World Series television ratings bounced back from last year's record lows. The Yankees' six-game victory over the Phillies on Fox averaged an 11.7 rating and 19 share. That's the highest since a 15.8/26 in 2004, when the Red Sox ended an 86-year title drought. It's up 39 percent from the record-low 8.4/14 for the 2008 Phillies-Rays series.