A major league adjustment: Hideki Matsui learning American culture and details of the game here

Baseball Digest, Jan, 2004 by Ken Davidoff

NEVER ONCE, IN HIS FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE SEAson, did Hideki Matsui look overwhelmed or flustered. But it could just be that no one has caught him at the wrong time: during his commute from his Manhattan apartment to Yankee Stadium.

"When I was in Japan, I never really honked the horn much," Matsui said through interpreter Roger Kahlon. "But since I came here, I've been honking a lot."

In Japan, Matsui explained, "people are more well-mannered than they are here in the U.S." But who hasn't found New York City driving to be a harrowing experience? And of course, most newcomers to the city don't have to learn a new language and culture On the fly and perform to the expectations of an annual $7-million salary--all while having every action scrutinized by dozens (sometimes hundreds) of reporters.

Matsui's rookie season with the Yankees could be labeled as somewhat of a disappointment, as people inside and outside the organization expected better than the .287 batting average and 16 homers he delivered. But he neutralized much of that concern with his daily approach to the game and strong fundamentals, including better-than-expected defense and leading the team with 42 doubles and finishing second to Jason Giambi's 107 RBI with 106. He came up big in Game 2 of the World Series, hitting a three-run homer to dead center field in the first inning to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead over the Florida Marlins in an eventual 6-1 victory.

The on-the-field adaptation, the 29-year-old admitted, was more difficult than he anticipated. But the off-the-field changes, which have taxed so many international players, have bothered Matsui far less than has the two-seam fastball.

"It wasn't especially difficult to adjust here," Matsui said. "But I think the biggest challenge has been the language: In terms of eating, or just living, in general, that's been fine."

Brad Lefton is a free lance American producer who spends the bulk of his time making films for Japanese audiences. He has gotten to know all of the high-profile Japanese players who have come over in the last decade, from Hideo Nomo to Matsui.

There has been a broad difference in how players have adjusted to their new lives, Lefton said, but most of them struggle more off the field than on the field.

"It's that feeling like you're part of the team, whether you're in the clubhouse or on the bus," Lefton said. "You don't get jokes. When guys are filling out their Final Four brackets in spring training, you're saying, 'What the heck is that?"

"You walk into our clubhouse today, you're going to see five Latin players in a corner speaking their language," Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer said last October. "Then five players over here speaking English. And Matsui looking at the wall."

Matsui insisted, "I feel that since the first day I came to the team, all of the team members have been very accommodating. So basically, I don't feel isolated. It's been really great."

When Matsui conducts an interview, it's clear that he has a vague understanding of most of the questions. But he could never formulate a response without Kahlon's assistance.

"When I hear something in English, I'm trying to absorb it in Japanese," Matsui said. "And when I try to respond, I'd be thinking in Japanese and try to put the words out "in Japanese, and then try to put the words in English.

"What's been very difficult is, when I think of something and try to speak it in English, I'm not sure if it's correct. I'm thinking in Japanese, and thinking about words in Japanese, and thinking about how to say that in English. I don't feel comfortable, whether it's the right way to say it."

He learned the phrase "What's up, dawg?" during spring training, and that's still his favorite piece of American slang. He gradually has caught on to other useful English phrases that have no real translation in Japanese. "A lot of casual words and phrases that you have needed to know, you could know only if you've been living here a long time, since you were a child," he said. "I think those little things are very difficult."

The goal, Matsui explained, is to be able to think in English, thereby eliminating the step of processing it all in Japanese. "To get the words out properly, I would have to increase the English part a little more in the thinking process," he said.

When Matsui approaches a teammate or coach, he'll do so at first without Kahlon, who will be nearby. If Matsui determines that he can't get his point across by himself, he'll summon Kahlon.

"He wants to communicate with the players without a translator," said Isao Harooka, the Yankees' liaison to the Japanese media. "He struggles to speak English. When he can't make a sentence, he asks me. He'll read English textbooks on flights,"

He has far more time to read on flights than he did in his days with the Yomiuri Giants. In the Japan League, Harooka said, the Giants' longest trip was a two-hour plane ride from Tokyo to Fukuoka. With the Yankees, the team travels across the country, five-or six-hour rides to or from Seattle or California.