Vital Statistics:
Born: October 23, 1975
Hometown: Osaka, Japan
Height: 5-10
Weight: 185
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
Family: Wife, Mio; daughter Haruna
Primary position: Second baseman
Before The Bigs:
- Played for nine seasons in Japan, where he starred for the Seibu Lions of the Nippon Professional Baseball Pacific League.
- Hit .332 with 36 home runs and 33 stolen bases in 2002, and won four Golden Glove Awards in Japan. He was league MVP in 1998.
- He is not related to Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui.
Career Highlights:
- Became the first Japanese infielder to jump to the majors in December 2003, signing a three-year, $20.1 million contract with the New York Mets.
- Playing 114 games as the Mets' shortstop in 2004, he hit .272 with seven home runs, 44 RBI and 14 stolen bases. He made 23 errors, however.
- Moved to second base in 2005 and became a platoon player, hitting .255 in 267 at-bats.
- Hit .200 in his first 130 at-bats in 2006 and was traded to the Colorado Rockies for catcher Eli Marrero, and played for more than two months at Triple-A Colorado Springs.
- Resigned with the Rockies in 2007 and had his best season, hitting .288 with four home runs and 32 stolen bases.
- Hit a triple, double and his first career grand slam in Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Phillies.
