For a decade, Hideki Matsui has lived up to his name and fame. In what could have been his last regular-season game at the Tokyo Dome, the Giants' slugger made sure the sea of orange witnessed the very best of him.
Matsui cleared the left-field fence twice to reach home run No. 50 on Thursday in a 5-3 win over the Yakult Swallows. Amid rumors of his free-agency move to Major League Baseball after this season, the 28-year-old Matsui became the first Central League player -- and eighth ever in Japanese ball -- to hit 50 or more home runs since Randy Bass did it with the Hanshin Tigers in 1985.
"I don't know what I'm feeling right now (after his 50th HR), but I am happy," Matsui said after the game.