Matsui-Mania was a thing for a few weeks in Durham back in 2012. I am not quite sure how I have never sat down and typed a few words about the long-time Yomiuri Giants and New York Yankees star. He was far from his prime and clinging to his professional career, but it was still fun to see him a few times in-person. One of those games was against Daisuke Matsuzaka (Dice K) who was on an injury rehab assignment for the Red Sox.
Here is a grainy video of him launching a ball out to centerfield at the DBAP, only to get robbed of a home run. It's a tough park to hit a home run.
Hideki Matsui only played stateside for a few years, but I think one of the biggest reasons I have never written about him is the fact that his cards were always seemingly out of my price range. It's hard to justify a three digit number for an autograph of a player who was only on the Bulls for a month at the end of his career.
I was surprised recently in an uptick in Matsui cards on social media, blogger, etc. Matsui has signed a lot of cards for Topps in 2023 and they are a fraction of the price they used to be. When you factor in his profile as a Japanese player and the fact that he was a World Series MVP for the Yankees, it's a pretty reasonable number.
First Matsui post, first Matsui autograph.
Hideki Matsui was easily the biggest name missing from my collection of Durham Bulls autographs. This card feels really satisfying.
Many Durham Bulls players have graduated to the Majors and have had the opportunity to shine on baseball's biggest stage during the postseason. There have been a total of 9 former Durham Bulls who have won a Postseason MVP Award, which includes former hitting coach Gary Gaetti who won the ALCS MVP with the Twins in 1987.
Which are the five best? Here's my take with a few baseball cards mixed in.....
Honorable Mention- Adam Kennedy 2002 American League Championship Series MVP
The long time Cardinals and Angels infielder played in Durham during the 2009 season while trying to work his way back to the Majors. In 2002, while playing for the Angels, Kennedy won the ALCS Award in route to the Angels taking home the World Series Championship in a hard fought series with the Giants. The Angels took on the Minnesota Twins in the ALCS and Kennedy had one of the best Postseason games in the history of baseball hitting three home runs.
If I were ranking individual game performances of former Durham Bulls players in the Postseason I would probably have a really hard topping Kennedy's game 5 barrage against the Twins.
5. Javy Lopez - 1996 National League Championship Series MVP
The 1996 Braves were the favorites to win the National League after winning the World Series in 1995. However, they found themselves in a 3 to 1 hole against the upstart Cardinals in their first season with Tony LaRussa. During the first four games the Braves had been done in by a two home run game by Ron Gant, a Dmitri Young triple followed by a Brian Jordan home run, and a Gary Gaetti grand slam off of Greg Maddux. Lopez and the pitching staff led the Braves back over the last three games. He ended the NLCS with 2 home runs, 5 doubles, 6 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.607. The Braves went on to the World Series, but lost in 6 games to the Yankees.
4. Steve Avery - 1991 National League Championship Series MVP
The Big 3 started out being Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Steve Avery. Avery was the youngest of the bunch and probably the most hyped of the three Atlanta pitchers. He had a nice 1991 season going 18-8 with an ERA of 3.38. In the postseason the Braves were pitted up against the favored Pittsburgh Pirates led by Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla. The series went a full seven games with Avery shutting down the Pirates in Game 2 and Game 6. The Game 6 performance forced a Game 7, which got the Braves into the 1991 World Series. In the 2 wins, Avery pitched 16 innings, struck out 17, and did not allow a run.
3. Hideki Matsui - 2009 World Series MVP
Matsui excelled for many years in Japan before joining the Yankees in 2003 at the age of 29. By the time 2009 rolled around the power hitting outfielder was at the end of his time with the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers reached the World Series and were matched up against the Phillies, who were the defending champions. Matsui did not do much in the ALDS against the Twins, nor the ALCS against the Angels, but the World Series was a different story. During the 6 games series, Matsui had 8 hits in 14 plate appearances, which included four extra base hits. Three of those extra base hits were home runs. Matsui would go on to spend time with the Angels and A's before landing with the Rays in 2012. Before joining the team in Tampa, the Rays let Matsui spend a little time with the Bulls.
2. Ben Zobrist - 2016 World Series MVP
There were players on this list that had better Postseason numbers than Zobrist did last year in the World Series, but I figured contributing to the end of the Cubs long championship drought had to count for something. Similar to Matsui, Zobrist did almost nothing of value in the playoffs before reaching the World Series. He hit .188 against the Giants in the NLDS and .150 against the Dodgers in the NLCS. In the World Series he hit .357 with three extra base hits. One of those was pretty important......
1. Mickey Lolich - 1968 World Series MVP
Lolich is a no-brainer here. The Tigers were heavy underdogs to the defending World Series Champions, the Cardinals, in 1968. The Cardinals jumped out to a 3 to 1 Series led by ace Bob Gibson. St. Louis put up 21 runs in the 3 games that they won, the lone bright spot for the Tigers was Game 2, which was won by Mickey Lolich. The Cardinals had 3 games to put the Tigers away with Bob Gibson pitching the seventh game if the Tigers got that far. Lolich started Game 5 and the Tigers managed to rally to win the game after the Cardinals scored 3 early runs. Game 6 went to Detroit too, setting up a Game 7 match-up between Lolich and Gibson. Gibson had won 7 straight World Series games stretch back to the 1964 match-up against the Yankees. Included in those seven straight World Series victories were two Game 7 wins in 1964 and 1967 against the Red Sox. Lolich pitched shut out ball until a Mike Shannon home run in the ninth, but that was the only run the Cardinals scored in a 4-1 Tigers win. Lolich ended the Series a perfect 3-0.
