As far as I know, there isn’t a tradition for baseball players to give a gift to their team on their birthday. I don’t even believe it’s a Japanese tradition. But in the case of Hideki Matsui, his 34th birthday was last night and he delivered a big gift to his Yankees team.
The bases were loaded in the sixth inning. Derek Jeter got himself on base with an infield hit. Blanton then walked Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez. There were zero outs. It was the perfect opportunity for a home run, which Matsui turned into a grand slam.
Just hours earlier, the Japanese media, which has a tradition of giving gifts, brought Matsui a large strawberry shortcake birthday gift. He graciously accepted the gift, blowing out the candles, but declined eating a peace of the cake with his game coming up. Talk about focus.
But that focus paid off with a gift of his own to a team very much in need of a win over the Oakland A’s. Andy Pettitte also contributed with a strong performance, allowing one run and five hits in eight innings. It’s his sixth win this season.
When all is said and done, I don’t think that a birthday had anything to do with the win. Matsui simply got a great opportunity to do something great, and he delivered.
Let’s hope for more great moments this season. To make sure that you don’t miss these great games you’ll want to buy your Yankees tickets online here.