The highlight of the 2010 off-season was bringing in left-handed hitting Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui. When this happened most of us felt that, although he could never replace our beloved Vladdy Guerrero, he was a solid hitter and should bring some offensive stability, as well as some much needed on-base-percentage and power. With all of the hype surrounding New York City, Hideki Matsui stayed relatively under the radar. This could be because his numbers were simply consistent and nothing more, or because he didn’t speak English. Who knows. Regardless, as Angels fans we know very little about our new Japanese Slugger. So here are some little known facts about Matsui.

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The first week of the Angels’ 2010 season has had its ups and its fair share of downs. But most of the ups to date can be directly attributed to Hideki Matsui (with honorable mention to Jered Weaver’s two ace-like starts). The 35-year-old free agent acquisition has proven to be everything his reputation echoes, delivering big hits in big spots when his team needed them in a big way. The Angels’ 1-4 start – its worst since 1992 – was looming over the Big A in a tension-filled bottom of the ninth, and last year’s World Series MVP calmly stepped up and did what he seemingly always does; deliver. Two wins, two game-winning RBIs courtesy of Godzilla. It should look familiar to anyone who watched the 2009 World Series, where, in a lineup full of All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, it was Matsui who delivered most of the Yankees’ biggest – and timeliest – heavy punches.