Padres’ Hiroki Matsui Unveils the Secret Behind Overpowering Major League Hitters Despite His Height of 173cm

“To be honest, my performance up to this point has been unexpected. Despite having won the most saves three times during my time with the Rakuten Eagles, I stand at a height of 173cm. Being relatively small even as a professional baseball player in Japan, to be able to hold off Major League sluggers.”

This is how a sports newspaper reporter assesses Hiroki Matsui (28) of the Padres.

Having exercised his international free agency rights from the Rakuten Eagles and entering the Major Leagues at the end of last year. The contract amount is estimated to be a total of $28 million over 5 years (about ¥4.4 billion), which shows that expectations were not as high compared to Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers (total of about ¥109.2 billion over 10 years) or Yoshinobu Yamamoto (total of about ¥50.7 billion over 12 years). However, upon opening the season, as of May 14, he has not lost in two wins, with four holds, including securing his first victory as a Japanese pitcher of the season on March 29 in the home opener. He is performing brilliantly as a relief ace.

Why can the petite Matsui excel in the Major Leagues? Explained by motion analysis expert and Professor Takashi Kawamura from the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences at Tsukuba University.

“It may seem like compact movements, but he utilizes his body dynamically. The key is the explosiveness of his lower body. Through a movement called ‘extension,’ where he bends then rapidly extends his hip joint, he generates significant force from his small body.”

Let’s listen to Professor Kawamura’s explanation while observing Matsui’s pitching in continuous photographs.

“In ①, he immediately shifts his weight onto his pivot foot from the set position, initiating his movement. This is likely to generate explosive power. It contrasts with larger pitchers like Ohtani, who move more leisurely.”

In ②, attention should be paid to the movement of the lower body.

“While utilizing the hip joint and sinking deeply, the buttocks are directed towards the batter. This represents an ideal state known as Hip-First. It’s evidence of effective weight transfer, ensuring that the center of gravity remains on the pivot foot and the lower body doesn’t lunge forward unnecessarily.”

The highlight is said to be ③.

“By imagining swiftly extending the hip joint that was bent in ② and driving the right leg into the ground, he transfers the power from the lower body to the upper body. He forcefully swings down his arms like a bow, while lifting his chest prominently in recoil. Executing this series of movements instantly adds strength to the ball. While conventional Major League pitchers leverage their body size, pitcher Matsui overwhelms even power hitters with his explosive force.”

In ④, the key point is the right leg.

“By firmly planting his stretched right leg into the ground, he swiftly rotates his upper body from second base towards the batter, leveraging the principle of leverage. In ⑤, it becomes clearer how he utilizes his right leg to tilt his upper body significantly. During his time with Rakuten, pitcher Matsui relied on his fastest straight pitch of 154 km/h and a dropping ball, but in the Major Leagues, he blends various breaking balls to enhance the power of his fastball even further.”

Matsui boasts one of the team’s highest numbers of appearances, but there are challenges.

“The problem lies in how to overcome the fatigue that accumulates during the summer. If the number of appearances increases and the power of the pitches decreases, the breaking balls won’t be as effective.”

The small but big pitcher who surprises expectations is now facing the crucial summer battles.

From the May 31, 2024 issue of FRIDAY