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Hideki Matsui sends classy note to Shohei Ohtani
Angels designated star Shohei Ohtani (17) broke Hideki Matsui's record for home runs in a hit by a Japanese-born player. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Hideki Matsui sends classy note after Shohei Ohtani passes his record

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports  |  By Larry Brown  |  Last updated 7/7/21

Hideki Matsui sent a classy note on Wednesday after having his record broken by Shohei Ohtani.

On Wednesday, Ohtani homered against the Boston Red Sox for his 32nd of the season. That home run helped him surpass Matsui, whose 31 home runs in 2004 were the most ever by a Japanese-born player in MLB.

Matsui issued a statement in response to Ohtani surpassing him. Matsui wished Ohtani continued success and shared he was looking forward to seeing what is next.

Matsui played in MLB for 10 season after spending the first 10 seasons of his pro career in Japan. Matsui hit 50 home runs in the season before coming to MLB. He never came close to that home run total while playing in America.

Conversely, Ohtani’s home run high in Japan was 22, which he has already surpassed this season by nearly 50 percent.

Interestingly, following his last four starts, Ohtani now has hit six home runs the day after pitching.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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