Japanese star Hideki Matsui got off to an impressive start for the New York Yankees, hitting an RBI single in his first major league at-bat Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
He finished 1-for-4 as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 8-2.
``That was a big at-bat for him, especially with two outs to get a base hit,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said.
PHOTO: AFP
Matsui came up to bat with runners on first and third base and two outs in the first inning against Roy Halladay.
He hit a hard grounder through the left side of the infield to drive in Derek Jeter with the Yankees' first run of the season.
Matsui flashed a little smile when he got to first base and the ball was returned to the Yankees' dugout for a souvenir.
PHOTO: AP
The opposite-field hit was not what people expected from the power hitter. It was more like one from slap-hitting Ichiro Suzuki, who won the American League Most Valuable Player two years ago with Seattle in his first season after leaving Japan.
Matsui was Japan's most famous power hitter, hitting 332 homers in 10 seasons, including 50 last year for the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, earning him the nickname "Godzilla" for his prodigious power.
Matsui has been the center of attention in Toronto, from the horde of Japanese, American and Canadian media asking him how he'll adjust to the majors, to a controversial advertisement the Blue Jays took out in Sunday's newspapers.
The ad, which urged fans in Japanese and English to boo Matsui, was altered on Monday. The Blue Jays dropped the ``Boo Matsui'' part, but the Yankees' cap was still depicted with bird droppings on it.
Toronto manager Carlos Tosca apologized to Yankees skipper Joe Torre for the ad. Torre said he had no ill feelings toward the Blue Jays and his only concern was if fans did more than boo.
``Booing is fine if it stops there,'' he said. ``It scares me to think about throwing things. We've all seen that. If you start with a negative and create an anger type of thing, that's my concern. We've been booed as much as anyone. I understand that. It's all in fun.''
Matsui has done his best to tune out all the distractions. He got similar treatment in Japan, where he was a three-time MVP in the Central League.
``I'm used to it because in Japan it's the same way,'' he said through an interpreter before the game.
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