Nobuhiko Matsunaka
Encyclopedia
is a left fielder
and designated hitter
for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
.
Matsunaka is the only active hitter
in Japanese professional baseball to have ever led the league
in all three Triple Crown
categories in the same season. He played in the 1996 Atlanta
and 2000 Sydney
Olympics
as well as the 2006 World Baseball Classic
, hitting cleanup
in and .
, and attended the local Yatsushiro First High School (currently Shugakukan High School). He joined Nippon Steel Corporation Kimitsu Works
, a team in the Japanese industrial leagues, upon graduating high school
in .
In 1996, 22-year-old Matsunaka, then still a first baseman
for Nippon Steel-Kimitsu, gathered national attention when he hit a game-tying grand slam
in the finals of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
against Cuba
as a member of the Japanese national team
. He was picked in the second round of the 1996 amateur draft
by the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks.
equivalent of "major league") level in , his rookie
season, as the starting first baseman and No. 7 hitter in a regular season
game against the Seibu Lions on May 31. His first home run
came more than a year later against Lions right-hander Fumiya Nishiguchi
on September 5 .
Matsunaka became the Hawks' starting first baseman in with the departure of Luis Lopez
, hitting .268 with 23 home runs and 71 RBI
and leading them to their first championship in 35 years as they won the league title as well as that year's Japan Series
in five games over the Chunichi Dragons
. His 23 homers were second to only Hiroki Kokubo
on the Hawks.
Most Valuable Player
award for the first time in his career. However, while the Hawks won the league title and reached the Japan Series
for the second straight year, they blew a commanding 2-0 lead to the Yomiuri Giants
and lost in six games. Matsunaka was a factor in this loss, going just 1-for-20 with one home run in the series.
Matsunaka put up his second consecutive .300-30-100 season the following season ' onMouseout='HidePop("96572")' href="/topics/Batting_order_(baseball)">lineup
that year, with Matsunaka, Kokubo (44), catcher Kenji Johjima
(31), and second baseman Tadahito Iguchi
(30) all hitting 30 or more home runs. It marked the first time four players on the same team had ever hit 30 or more homers in the Pacific League, and the four were dubbed the "30-Homer Quartet". However, while the Hawks broke a franchise record by hitting 203 home runs as a team, they finished second to the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes
in the pennant race, missing their third straight league title.
Matsunaka struggled to adjust to the new strike zone
that the NPB had decided to implement in the season, hitting a career-low .260 with 28 home runs. He hit his 100th career home run on May 3 off left-hander Itsuki Shoda
in a game against the Nippon Ham Fighters.
championship in four years over the Hanshin Tigers
. Despite the absence of Kokubo, their longtime cleanup hitter
, the Hawks collectively hit .297 (the highest team batting average
in NPB history), with four hitters putting up 100 or more RBI (the "100-RBI Quartet").
career. He hit .358 with 44 home runs and 120 RBI, becoming the first player in Japanese professional baseball since Hiromitsu Ochiai
(then of the Lotte Orions) in to lead the league in batting average, home runs and RBI in the same season (he was tied with Fernando Seguignol
in home runs) and thus win Triple Crown honors. Making the feat even more impressive was that Matsunaka also led the league in hits
, on-base percentage, runs scored
and total bases
, becoming just the second player in NPB history to lead the league in the aforementioned seven categories.
Following the season, Matsunaka was rewarded with the second MVP award of his career as well as the Best Nine
and Golden Glove awards. However, while he led his team to the playoffs, the Hawks fell in five games to the Lions due in large part to an abysmal showing by Matsunaka, who went just 2-for-16 in five games in the series.
due to recurring problems with his knee
s. He hit his 200th career home run against Chiba Lotte Marines
submariner
Shunsuke Watanabe
on April 17 and finished the year with a .315 batting average, 46 home runs and 121 RBI, leading the league in home runs and RBI for the second straight season and becoming the first hitter in NPB history to record more than 120 RBI in three straight seasons. However, the Hawks suffered yet another early playoff exit, this time falling in five games to the Marines. Again, Matsunaka faced most of the blame for the loss, hitting just 1-for-19 in the series.
He signed a seven-year contract with the Hawks in the 2005 off-season, virtually ensuring that he would finish his career with the team.
, Matsunaka hit .324 during the 2006 regular season and won his second batting title that year, but his power fell substantially as he managed to hit only 19 home runs with 76 RBI. It was during this season that he began to see significant playing time in the outfield, frequently seeing starts at left field
from interleague play onwards. The Hawks finished third in the regular season, defeating the Lions in the first round of the playoffs but ultimately being swept by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
in the second round (though Matsunaka went 7-for-18 with 7 RBI in the postseason). Despite his less impressive numbers, Matsunaka received his fourth consecutive (and fifth overall) Best Nine Award
as an outfielder
, making him only the third player after Akinobu Mayumi and Ochiai to receive the award at three different positions (he had won three as a first baseman and one as a designated hitter).
) and newly acquired Hitoshi Tamura
that would comprise the middle of the order, all three missed significant playing time due to injuries
. Matsunaka put up his worst numbers since 2002, hitting just .266 with 15 home runs and 68 RBI.
Hideaki Wakui
on August 29 and playing all 144 games while batting .290 with 25 home runs and driving in 92 runs. However, his personal accomplishments were offset by the Hawks' collapse in the second half of the season, a free-fall which culminated in a loss to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
in the last game of the regular season that brought their first last-place finish since the 1996 season.
on April 3 and became only the 11th player in NPB history to record 100 career hit-batters
on April 21 against the Fighters, hitting a pair of two-run homers in the same game. He got the 1500th hit of his career on May 6 against the Buffaloes, becoming the 100th player in NPB history to accomplish the feat.
and 2000 Sydney Olympic
Games. He played an instrumental role in Japan's silver medal
finish in 1996, hitting five home runs and 16 RBI in the tournament (his game-tying grand slam in the finals against Cuba
was arguably his most noteworthy moment, even though Japan eventually lost the match 9-13).
Matsunaka became one of the first baseball players to ever participate in the Olympic Games
as a pro when he was chosen to the national team for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but Japan was defeated by South Korea in the bronze medal match and came up empty in their run for a medal.
In 2006, Matsunaka was chosen to the national team for the third time, playing in the inaugural World Baseball Classic
as Japan's starting left fielder
and cleanup hitter. He hit .433 in eight games, albeit with no home runs, and was instrumental in leading Japan to the inaugural title.
because of his ability to stay inside the pitch, a testament to how adept he is in turning on inside pitches. He also strikes out
very infrequently compared to other so-called power hitters. He struck out just 85 times when he hit 46 home runs (his career high) in 2005, 67 times when he hit 44 homers in 2004 and 77 times when he hit 36 homers in 2001, never whiffing more than 91 times in a single season.
Matsunaka began to see substantial time in left field in interleague play during the 2006 season. While he displayed limited range in the outfield, his throws were usually fairly accurate despite his weak throwing arm. He has since seen an increasing number of starts as the team's designated hitter due to a history of shoulder
- and elbow
-related injuries.
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of 18 May 2009
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
and designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
.
Matsunaka is the only active hitter
Batting (baseball)
In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team. A batter or hitter is a person whose turn it is to face the pitcher...
in Japanese professional baseball to have ever led the league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
in all three Triple Crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
categories in the same season. He played in the 1996 Atlanta
Baseball at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Baseball had its second appearance as an official medal sport at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States, with games played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Eight nations competed, with the preliminary phase consisting of each team playing every other team. Playoffs were then held,...
and 2000 Sydney
Baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the third time an Olympic baseball tournament had been held as a full medal sport, and the ninth time it had been part of the Summer Olympic Games in any capacity. It was held in Sydney, Australia from 17 September through to the bronze and gold medal games...
Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
as well as the 2006 World Baseball Classic
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
, hitting cleanup
Cleanup hitter
In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Although the third man up is generally the hitter with the highest batting average, cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best power hitter; their job is to "clean up the...
in and .
Early life and amateur career
Matsunaka was born in Yatsushiro, KumamotoYatsushiro, Kumamoto
is a city located in Kumamoto, Japan.On August 1, 2005, the city merged with the municipalities of Izumi, Kagami, Sakamoto, Senchō and Tōyō to form the new expanded city of Yashushiro....
, and attended the local Yatsushiro First High School (currently Shugakukan High School). He joined Nippon Steel Corporation Kimitsu Works
Nippon Steel
, also referred to as , was formed in 1970. Nippon Steel Corporation is the world's 4th largest steel producer by volume.-Early years:Nippon Steel was created by the merger of two giants, Yawata Iron & Steel and Fuji Iron & Steel...
, a team in the Japanese industrial leagues, upon graduating high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in .
In 1996, 22-year-old Matsunaka, then still a first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
for Nippon Steel-Kimitsu, gathered national attention when he hit a game-tying grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
in the finals of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
against Cuba
Cuba national baseball team
The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...
as a member of the Japanese national team
Japan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
. He was picked in the second round of the 1996 amateur draft
Draft (sports)
A draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia and the Philippines to allocate certain players to sports teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players...
by the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks.
Early years: 1997 to 1999
Matsunaka made his debut at the ichigun (JapaneseJapanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
equivalent of "major league") level in , his rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season, as the starting first baseman and No. 7 hitter in a regular season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
game against the Seibu Lions on May 31. His first home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
came more than a year later against Lions right-hander Fumiya Nishiguchi
Fumiya Nishiguchi
, born September 26, 1972 in Wakayama, Japan) is a Japanese baseball player. He is a right-handed pitcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball for the Seibu Lions.-External links:...
on September 5 .
Matsunaka became the Hawks' starting first baseman in with the departure of Luis Lopez
Luis Lopez (catcher)
Luis Antonio Lopez is a former catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played in 41 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians during the and seasons....
, hitting .268 with 23 home runs and 71 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
and leading them to their first championship in 35 years as they won the league title as well as that year's Japan Series
Japan Series
, or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....
in five games over the Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
. His 23 homers were second to only Hiroki Kokubo
Hiroki Kokubo
Hiroki Kokubo is a professional baseball player from Wakayama, Japan. He currently plays for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in the Japanese Pacific League....
on the Hawks.
2000 to 2002
Matsunaka had a breakout year in , hitting .312 with 33 homers and 106 RBI and winning the Pacific LeaguePacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
award for the first time in his career. However, while the Hawks won the league title and reached the Japan Series
2000 Japan Series
The 2000 Japan Series matched the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants against the Pacific League champion and defending Japan Series champion Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. The press called it the ON series because of the managers on both sides: Sadaharu Oh for the Hawks and Shigeo Nagashima for the Giants...
for the second straight year, they blew a commanding 2-0 lead to the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
and lost in six games. Matsunaka was a factor in this loss, going just 1-for-20 with one home run in the series.
Matsunaka put up his second consecutive .300-30-100 season the following season ' onMouseout='HidePop("96572")' href="/topics/Batting_order_(baseball)">lineup
Batting order (baseball)
The batting order, or batting lineup, in baseball is the sequence in which the nine members of the offense take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is the main component of a team's offensive strategy. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins...
that year, with Matsunaka, Kokubo (44), catcher Kenji Johjima
Kenji Johjima
is a Japanese catcher who is currently playing for the Hanshin Tigers. He played in Major League Baseball for four years with the Seattle Mariners in the American League....
(31), and second baseman Tadahito Iguchi
Tadahito Iguchi
is a Japanese second baseman currently playing for the Chiba Lotte Marines.-Early life and Japanese career:Iguchi began playing in high school and after graduating in 1993, went to Aoyama Gakuin University where he distinguished himself by hitting the Tohto University Baseball League record of...
(30) all hitting 30 or more home runs. It marked the first time four players on the same team had ever hit 30 or more homers in the Pacific League, and the four were dubbed the "30-Homer Quartet". However, while the Hawks broke a franchise record by hitting 203 home runs as a team, they finished second to the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes
Kintetsu Buffaloes
The was a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka, Japan, which were in the Pacific League. The team was owned by Kinki Nippon Railway Co. and later sold to the Orix Group, the owner of the Orix BlueWave baseball team, in 2004...
in the pennant race, missing their third straight league title.
Matsunaka struggled to adjust to the new strike zone
Strike zone
In baseball, the strike zone is a conceptual right pentagonal prism over home plate which defines the boundaries through which a pitch must pass in order to count as a strike when the batter does not swing.-Definition:...
that the NPB had decided to implement in the season, hitting a career-low .260 with 28 home runs. He hit his 100th career home run on May 3 off left-hander Itsuki Shoda
Itsuki Shoda
is a Japanese baseball player in the Boston Red Sox organization. He was originally drafted by the Nippon Ham Fighters in , playing 5 seasons, before playing for the Hanshin Tigers.Shoda is reportedly near a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox....
in a game against the Nippon Ham Fighters.
2003
In , Matsunaka bounced back from a disappointing previous year and hit .324 with 30 home runs and 123 RBI in the regular season, overtaking his teammate Johjima in RBI in the last game of the season to lead the league in that category for the first time. He led the Hawks to another pennant win and their first Japan SeriesJapan Series
, or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....
championship in four years over the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
. Despite the absence of Kokubo, their longtime cleanup hitter
Cleanup hitter
In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Although the third man up is generally the hitter with the highest batting average, cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best power hitter; their job is to "clean up the...
, the Hawks collectively hit .297 (the highest team batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
in NPB history), with four hitters putting up 100 or more RBI (the "100-RBI Quartet").
2004
The season was the finest of Matsunaka's eight-year professionalProfessional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
career. He hit .358 with 44 home runs and 120 RBI, becoming the first player in Japanese professional baseball since Hiromitsu Ochiai
Hiromitsu Ochiai
Hiromitsu Ochiai is a former Japanese professional baseball player. He is currently manager of the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball...
(then of the Lotte Orions) in to lead the league in batting average, home runs and RBI in the same season (he was tied with Fernando Seguignol
Fernando Seguignol
Fernando Alfredo Seguignol is a Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder who is currently a free agent. In 2010 he played for the Orix Buffaloes in the Japanese Pacific League, where he had previously played in 2002, After playing for the Newark Bears...
in home runs) and thus win Triple Crown honors. Making the feat even more impressive was that Matsunaka also led the league in hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, on-base percentage, runs scored
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
and total bases
Total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....
, becoming just the second player in NPB history to lead the league in the aforementioned seven categories.
Following the season, Matsunaka was rewarded with the second MVP award of his career as well as the Best Nine
Best Nine Award
The Best Nine Award is awarded annually to the best player at each position in both the Central League and Pacific League of Japanese professional baseball as determined by a pool of journalists.-History:...
and Golden Glove awards. However, while he led his team to the playoffs, the Hawks fell in five games to the Lions due in large part to an abysmal showing by Matsunaka, who went just 2-for-16 in five games in the series.
2005
In , the following year, Matsunaka became the Hawks' everyday designated hitterDesignated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
due to recurring problems with his knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
s. He hit his 200th career home run against Chiba Lotte Marines
Chiba Lotte Marines
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by the Lotte conglomerate.-History:...
submariner
Submarine (baseball)
In baseball, a submarine pitch is one in which the ball is released underhand and just above the ground, with the torso bent at a right angle and shoulders tilted so severely that they rotate around a nearly horizontal axis...
Shunsuke Watanabe
Shunsuke Watanabe
is a professional baseball player from Tsuga, Tochigi, Japan who plays for the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Japanese Pacific League.His submarine pitching form was noted during the 2006 World Baseball Classic.-Amateur career:...
on April 17 and finished the year with a .315 batting average, 46 home runs and 121 RBI, leading the league in home runs and RBI for the second straight season and becoming the first hitter in NPB history to record more than 120 RBI in three straight seasons. However, the Hawks suffered yet another early playoff exit, this time falling in five games to the Marines. Again, Matsunaka faced most of the blame for the loss, hitting just 1-for-19 in the series.
He signed a seven-year contract with the Hawks in the 2005 off-season, virtually ensuring that he would finish his career with the team.
2006
Coming off a triumphant victory in the inaugural World Baseball ClassicWorld Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
, Matsunaka hit .324 during the 2006 regular season and won his second batting title that year, but his power fell substantially as he managed to hit only 19 home runs with 76 RBI. It was during this season that he began to see significant playing time in the outfield, frequently seeing starts at left field
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
from interleague play onwards. The Hawks finished third in the regular season, defeating the Lions in the first round of the playoffs but ultimately being swept by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at the Sapporo Dome. The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō,...
in the second round (though Matsunaka went 7-for-18 with 7 RBI in the postseason). Despite his less impressive numbers, Matsunaka received his fourth consecutive (and fifth overall) Best Nine Award
Best Nine Award
The Best Nine Award is awarded annually to the best player at each position in both the Central League and Pacific League of Japanese professional baseball as determined by a pool of journalists.-History:...
as an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
, making him only the third player after Akinobu Mayumi and Ochiai to receive the award at three different positions (he had won three as a first baseman and one as a designated hitter).
2007
The season proved to be a disappointing one for Matsunaka. Despite the high expectations placed upon the new trio of Matsunaka, Kokubo (who had returned to the Hawks after a stint with the Giants via free agencyFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
) and newly acquired Hitoshi Tamura
Hitoshi Tamura
Hitoshi Tamura is a Japanese professional baseball player with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.-External links:...
that would comprise the middle of the order, all three missed significant playing time due to injuries
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
. Matsunaka put up his worst numbers since 2002, hitting just .266 with 15 home runs and 68 RBI.
2008
Coming off of a rigorous off-season lower body training regimen, Matsunaka rebounded in , hitting his 300th career home run against young Lions aceAce (baseball)
In baseball, an ace is the best starting pitcher of any team and nearly always the first pitcher in his starting rotation. Barring injury or exceptional circumstances, an ace usually always starts on Opening Day...
Hideaki Wakui
Hideaki Wakui
is a starting pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions.The Lions' current staff ace, Wakui pitched for the Japanese national team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2009 World Baseball Classic.-Early life:...
on August 29 and playing all 144 games while batting .290 with 25 home runs and driving in 92 runs. However, his personal accomplishments were offset by the Hawks' collapse in the second half of the season, a free-fall which culminated in a loss to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...
in the last game of the regular season that brought their first last-place finish since the 1996 season.
2009
Matsunaka was officially listed as an outfielder from the season onwards. He recorded his 1000th career RBI in the season opener against the Orix BuffaloesOrix Buffaloes
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....
on April 3 and became only the 11th player in NPB history to record 100 career hit-batters
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
on April 21 against the Fighters, hitting a pair of two-run homers in the same game. He got the 1500th hit of his career on May 6 against the Buffaloes, becoming the 100th player in NPB history to accomplish the feat.
International career
Matsunaka is a two-time Olympian, representing Japan in both the 1996 Athens1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
and 2000 Sydney Olympic
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
Games. He played an instrumental role in Japan's silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
finish in 1996, hitting five home runs and 16 RBI in the tournament (his game-tying grand slam in the finals against Cuba
Cuba national baseball team
The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...
was arguably his most noteworthy moment, even though Japan eventually lost the match 9-13).
Matsunaka became one of the first baseball players to ever participate in the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
as a pro when he was chosen to the national team for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but Japan was defeated by South Korea in the bronze medal match and came up empty in their run for a medal.
In 2006, Matsunaka was chosen to the national team for the third time, playing in the inaugural World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
as Japan's starting left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
and cleanup hitter. He hit .433 in eight games, albeit with no home runs, and was instrumental in leading Japan to the inaugural title.
Hitting
Matsunaka is a burly 183 cm (72 in), 97 kg (213.8 lb) power hitter who currently hits in either the 3-hole or the cleanup spot in the Hawks' lineup. It is often said that balls Matsunaka pulls are less likely to go foulFoul ball
In baseball, a foul ball is a batted ball that:* Settles on foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base, or* Bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory, or...
because of his ability to stay inside the pitch, a testament to how adept he is in turning on inside pitches. He also strikes out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
very infrequently compared to other so-called power hitters. He struck out just 85 times when he hit 46 home runs (his career high) in 2005, 67 times when he hit 44 homers in 2004 and 77 times when he hit 36 homers in 2001, never whiffing more than 91 times in a single season.
Fielding
Matsunaka has never been regarded as a particularly good fielder. Though he won the Pacific League Golden Glove award at first base in 2004, many thought that he was chosen over other candidates with better defensive reputations, such as Marines first baseman and three-time Golden Glove winner Kazuya Fukuura, largely on merit of his offensive production (Matsunaka led the league in all three Triple Crown categories that year).Matsunaka began to see substantial time in left field in interleague play during the 2006 season. While he displayed limited range in the outfield, his throws were usually fairly accurate despite his weak throwing arm. He has since seen an increasing number of starts as the team's designated hitter due to a history of shoulder
Shoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle , the scapula , and the humerus as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder make up the shoulder joints. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, which...
- and elbow
Elbow
The human elbow is the region surrounding the elbow-joint—the ginglymus or hinge joint in the middle of the arm. Three bones form the elbow joint: the humerus of the upper arm, and the paired radius and ulna of the forearm....
-related injuries.
Career statistics
| Nippon Professional Baseball | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Team | G Games played Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,... |
AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance... |
R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... |
H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... |
2B Double (baseball) In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... |
3B Triple (baseball) In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... |
HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... |
TB Total bases In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total.... |
RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... |
SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate... |
AVG Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... |
OBP | SLG | OPS On-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League... |
| 23 | Daiei | 20 | 43 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .209 | .255 | .232 | .488 | |
| 24 | 34 | 71 | 9 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 34 | 10 | 2 | .268 | .361 | .479 | .840 | ||
| 25 | 126 | 395 | 57 | 106 | 20 | 4 | 23 | 203 | 71 | 5 | .268 | .359 | .514 | .873 | ||
| 26 | 130 | 471 | 76 | 147 | 26 | 1 | 33 | 274 | 106 | 0 | .312 | .387 | .582 | .969 | ||
| 27 | 130 | 479 | 81 | 160 | 29 | 0 | 36 | 297 | 122 | 2 | .334 | .412 | .620 | 1.032 | ||
| 28 | 136 | 485 | 75 | 126 | 23 | 1 | 28 | 235 | 83 | 1 | .260 | .348 | .485 | .833 | ||
| 29 | 135 | 494 | 99 | 160 | 31 | 1 | 30 | 283 | 123 | 2 | .324 | .429 | .573 | 1.002 | ||
| 30 | 130 | 478 | 118 | 171 | 37 | 1 | 44 | 342 | 120 | 2 | .358 | .464 | .715 | 1.179 | ||
| 31 | SoftBank Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were... |
132 | 483 | 109 | 152 | 26 | 2 | 46 | 320 | 121 | 2 | .315 | .412 | .673 | 1.075 | |
| 32 | 131 | 447 | 79 | 145 | 32 | 1 | 19 | 236 | 76 | 2 | .324 | .453 | .528 | .981 | ||
| 33 | 123 | 440 | 60 | 117 | 26 | 1 | 15 | 190 | 68 | 1 | .266 | .366 | .432 | .798 | ||
| 34 | 144 | 538 | 79 | 156 | 28 | 2 | 25 | 263 | 92 | 3 | .290 | .382 | .489 | .871 | ||
| 35 | 35 | 132 | 19 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 64 | 27 | 1 | .265 | .357 | .482 | .842 | ||
| Career | 1406 | 4956 | 865 | 1503 | 290 | 14 | 310 | 2751 | 1025 | 23 | .303 | .399 | .555 | .954 | ||
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of 18 May 2009
External links
- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks - Nobuhiko Matsunaka Official Website (Japanese)
- Matsunaka Nobuhiko Sports Museum (Japanese)