The bat which New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui used last month to hit the first World Series homer by a Japanese made its way into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on Thursday.
It was the second bat the 29-year-old Matsui, a first-year major leaguer, presented to the museum following his bat used to hit a grand slam in his Yankees Stadium debut, which was added to the collection in April.
"Hitting a home run on that big stage is something I will never forget. I'm honored that the bat was placed in the museum. We lost the series, but that homer was definitely a highlight," Matsui said.
The memorable bat used in Game 2 of the World Series arrived by special delivery and was placed in the "Autumn Glory" exhibition section celebrating the 100th anniversary of the World Series along with other items, such as teammate Roger Clemens' used artifacts from Game 4.