The Yankees’ World Series-clinching win Wednesday night did more than add to their collection of championship trophies. It also cemented them as the team of the decade.
From 2000-09, the Yankees won two titles - matching the Red Sox total - while capturing two additional American League pennants.
As commissioner Bud Selig likes to properly boast, baseball has far more parity than for which it gets credit. Thanks in part to the advent of revenue sharing, eight different teams won National League pennants this decade.
The AL had a similar stretch from 2002-06, when five franchises represented the league in the World Series: the Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox and Tigers.
But bookended around that span were, as always, the Yankees. They won more games, more division titles, more playoff spots, more playoff series and more pennants than any other organization.
When the history of this decade is written, it’s likely that the Red Sox’ 2004 championship will be the most remembered, for it ended 86 years of frustration and postseason futility. But that title stands out precisely because it was so rare.
And while the Yankees were as constant a presence in October as falling leaves, the Red Sox missed out on the postseason altogether in 2000, ’01, ’02 and ’06.
Two NL teams reached the World Series twice this decade: the Cardinals and Phillies. But each won just one championship and had spotty success in other seasons.
The Phillies didn’t qualify for the playoffs until 2007. The Cardinals, meanwhile, were inconsistent: When they weren’t in the postseason, they twice finished third and once finished fourth in the NL Central. St. Louis hasn’t won a playoff game of any sort since it clinched the 2006 World Series by beating the Tigers in Game 5.
Moreover, something of a sliding scale must be applied to NL teams. After all, it’s indisputable that the level of play there was, for much of the decade, inferior to that of the AL.
The only other AL club worthy of consideration for team of the decade is Los Angeles, which is perennially playoff-bound out of the AL West. But although the Angels reached the postseason in six seasons, they won just one pennant and often - this year being an exception - found themselves bounced in the Division Series by the Red Sox.
That brings the discussion back to a familiar framework: Red Sox vs. Yankees.
Had the Phillies found a way to defeat New York this year, a salient case could have been made that the Red Sox were the decade’s most dominant team.
A Phillies victory would have given them the same number of championships as the Sox, but the Phils were a late-decade phenomenon with half the number of playoff appearances as the Sox and a far lower winning percentage.
Instead, the Yankees won and tied the Sox for most championships while having double the number of pennants and eight division titles to their rivals’ one.
Hideki Matsui took a meaty cut, watched the ball fly and winced when it hooked a foot foul. That's about all that went wrong for him.Matsui put the world in World Series MVP, earning the award by homering, doubling, singling and driving in six runs Wednesday night as the New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 to claim their 27th championship.
Matsui became the first Japanese-born player to win the award that started in 1955. He hit .615 (8 for 13) with three home runs and eight RBIs. His performance in Game 6 matched the record for RBIs in a Series game. No one, however, had done it in a clincher.
"It's awesome," Matsui said through a translator. "Unbelievable. I'm surprised myself."
Standing on a podium in shallow center field, Matsui waved his new championship hat and shook hands with commissioner Bud Selig. Matsui won three titles in Japan and was eager to celebrate his first in the Bronx.
"I guess it's hard to make a comparison. When I was in Japan, that was the ultimate goal. Being here, winning the World Series, becoming world champions, that's what you strive for here."
"You could say that I guess this is the best moment of my life right now," he said. "It's been a long road and very difficult journey."
Matsui's two-run drive off Pedro Martinez in the second inning put the Yankees ahead for good. Nicknamed "Godzilla" back home, Matsui sent a shot to right field that banged off an advertisement on the facing of the second deck - fittingly, it was a sign for the Japanese company Komatsu, which makes mining and construction equipment.
After his hard foul, Matsui added a two-run single in the third and lined a two-run double off the right-center field wall in the fifth. The giant videoboard in center field showed fans holding Japanese signs and while the sellout crowd roared, he stood placidly at second base.
Fans cheered when Matsui's feat, matching Bobby Richardson's 1960 mark for RBIs in any Series game, was posted on the scoreboard.
Matsui drew a standing ovation when he came to bat in the seventh, and chants of "MVP! MVP!" bounced around the ballpark.
"He hit everything we threw up there," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.
Praised Yankees captain Derek Jeter: "Man, he looked like he wanted it bad, didn't he?"
"Matsu is one of my favorite players, one of my favorite teammates. He comes ready to play every day. He's a professional hitter," he said.
Watching Game 6 on TV in Tokyo, Masanori Murakami echoed that sentiment. He was the first Japanese player in the majors, in 1964 with San Francisco, and fully appreciated the magnitude of Matsui's honor.
"Ichiro Suzuki has had many accomplishments, but they've all been in the regular season. As the first Japanese to win an MVP in the World Series, this is a great accomplishment for Matsui and will have a huge impact," Murakami said.
"New York is a tough place to play, so this is a great achievement for him given all he has been through with injuries and missing time," he said.
Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher hollered Matsui's name during the clubhouse party.
"Matsu," Swisher yelled. "They're partying in Tokyo tonight, I know that. Man, what a great job Matsu did for us, been coming up clutch for us in situations all year long. He deserved that MVP trophy. There's no doubt about it."
An outfielder by trade, Matsui hasn't played the field since June 15, 2008, because of bad knees. He hit .274 this year with 28 homers and 90 RBIs, and wasn't much of a force in the AL playoffs against Minnesota and the Los Angeles Angels.
That changed against the defending champion Phillies.
Now strictly a DH and pinch-hitter because of his knees, Matsui accomplished a lot in a hurry. His 13 at-bats tied Baltimore's Rick Dempsey in 1983 for the fewest by a Series MVP (nonpitchers only, naturally), according to STATS LLC.
Matsui became the first player to win the award as a full-time DH in the Series. Toronto DH Paul Molitor played in the field when the Blue Jays won the 1993 title.
Matsui's eight RBIs were the most in a World Series since Reggie Jackson had the same total in 1977 and 1978.
"Just wonderful," Jackson said. "He struggles to play the field now. Great, great player. Represents his country well. He's a gentleman. He's a class act. Great player and to put on a performance like that in what may be his last time in Yankee Stadium, you just tip your cap and enjoy it."
Matsui left Japan and signed with the Yankees in 2003. At 35, his greatest achievement might've come in his final game in pinstripes.
This year wrapped up Matsui's $52 million, four-year contract. It remains to be seen what the aging Yankees will do with him. Whatever happens, he certainly left his mark.
"I hope so. I hope it works out that way," he said. "I love New York, I love the Yankees."
is a Japanese baseball player. He is currently a designated hitter for the New York Yankees of the MLB. He bats
. He was awarded the 2009 World Series MVP award after hitting .615 (8 for 13) with three home runs and eight
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