Padres’ Hiroki Matsui Unveils the Secret Behind Overpowering Major League Hitters Despite His Height of 173cm
An expert in motion analysis explains thoroughly. With a fastball up to 154 km/h and a sharp breaking ball, Hiroki Matsui has been very active as a relay ace since his first year in the major leagues!
“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.
