SEATTLE – Since Hideki Matsui hadn’t homered in 140 at-bats and was hitting .250 going into last night’s game against the Mariners at Safeco Field, Joe Torre was asked if he believed Matsui was feeling the effects of playing every day.
“I don’t think he is tired, no more than any of the other players,” Torre said of Matsui, who remained in the cleanup spot versus lefty Jamie Moyer last night. “He has been doing it for so many years.”
So long, in fact, that Matsui played in his 1,616th straight game last night.
Two weeks ago, Torre may have thought about giving Matsui a rest, but not any more.
“He is all right,” Torre said. “I am a lot more comfortable with him than I was a couple of weeks ago. He wasn’t seeing the ball well.”
Matsui had seven hits in the last 19 at-bats (.368) to get his average to .250 and was 3-for-4 with an RBI last night.
Still, Torre remained extremely confident about Matsui’s ability to produce even if Tino Martinez, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Bernie Williams and Tony Womack had higher averages in the clutch.
“There is nobody I would rather have up there with men in scoring position,” Torre said of Matsui, who was batting .267 (12-for-45) in the clutch. “He knows how to hit with men on base.”
As for Matsui having only three homers, Torre isn’t worried. He looked at the 29 RBIs and they made up for the lack of dingers.
“He will hit a handful in a short period of time,” Torre predicted. “He has hit balls hard enough to go out but they weren’t in the air.”
Since spring training in Tampa, Matsui has been bothered by allergies that have affected his breathing. He doesn’t use that as an excuse but he has had trouble sleeping because of the problem.
Hitting instructor Don Mattingly isn’t fretting about Matsui.
“It’s a matter of time before things start going the other way,” Mattingly said of Matsui, who has been flying open with his front shoulder lately. “He has still been productive. It’s a matter of time before he gets hot.”
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‘He is all right. I am a lot more comfortable with him than I was a couple of weeks ago. He wasn’t seeing the ball well.’ – Joe Torre, on Hideki Matsui