Hideki Matsui’s Appointment as Manager Could Bring Masahiro Nakai a Once-in-a-Lifetime Offer as His Name Surfaces in Giants Campaign

A die-hard giants fan like Nakai

Godzilla is coming home.

Hideki Matsui (52) has been confirmed as the new manager of the Yomiuri Giants. The team finished second in the league this season and advanced to the Climax Series, only to be eliminated by DeNA without putting up much of a fight. His appointment could hardly be more significant as the Giants seek to reclaim their position as the leading team in Japanese baseball. Matsui’s return is likely to bring back longtime fans who had drifted away. There is little doubt that the baseball world will revolve around “Matsui’s Giants” next season.

Matsui joined the Giants in 1993 as the first overall draft pick after graduating from Seiryo High School in Ishikawa Prefecture. His “1,000-day plan to make Matsui the cleanup hitter,” devised with the late Shigeo Nagashima, known as “Mr. Giants,” remains a legendary story in Japanese baseball.

He left the Giants in 2002 to join the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. In the 2009 World Series, he became the first Japanese player to win the MVP award. He retired from professional baseball in 2012.

At a press conference on October 23, Matsui commented:

“I hope to make today, right here, the starting point for the Giants to usher in a new golden age.”

Rather than his playing days’ number 55, he will wear number 90. The process of assembling his coaching staff is now set to begin, and the name of former manager Yoshinobu Takahashi (51) has emerged as a candidate for head coach. A baseball industry insider says:

“Yoshinobu as head coach is practically a done deal. Matsui putting on a Giants uniform for the first time in 24 years is newsworthy enough on its own. Just seeing Manager Matsui and Head Coach Yoshinobu sitting side by side in the dugout will bring fans to the stadium. This is the Yomiuri Group’s big move. They’ll surely come up with all sorts of ways to build excitement from here.”

This development could also provide a tailwind for a certain person who has retired from the entertainment industry: former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai (54), who faded from show business following a controversy involving a woman. He is known as a passionate Giants fan, and if he were still active in the entertainment world, he would surely be unable to hide his excitement.

The October 20 issue of “Josei Jishin” reported that plans had been quietly underway for Nakai to launch a YouTube channel as a way to talk about his beloved baseball, but that the project ultimately fell through. However, there is a possibility that the plan could be revived following the news of Matsui’s return. A sportswriter tells this publication:

If it’s strictly about baseball

“Now that Matsui’s appointment as manager has been confirmed, media outlets are launching one support campaign after another. Some are planning features in which prominent Giants fans send messages of encouragement to the new manager. I hear Masahiro Nakai’s name has come up as a possible participant. Television may be out of the question, but there are ways to make it work through a sports newspaper column or an online media outlet. Apparently, they’re already looking into Nakai’s point of contact to approach him.”

What remains uncertain is how the public would react. The media outlets considering featuring him will also need to make a careful judgment.

“First of all, Nakai and the woman have reached a settlement. The details of the trouble will remain unknown unless one of them speaks publicly. It would be problematic if Nakai himself brought up the incident, but some believe that if he sticks strictly to baseball, it might just be acceptable. On the other hand, given the current emphasis on compliance, others say, ‘It would still be difficult.’ There is also the possibility of backlash from the woman’s side, or that Nakai himself may not be interested,” says the same sportswriter.

The focus at the moment is on pitcher Shoki Oda (18) of Yokohama High School, whom the Giants selected in the first round of the draft. He has already stated his intention to pursue a career in MLB.

“With Matsui now in the picture, it’s hard to say what will happen. Many veteran baseball reporters are saying flatly, ‘He’ll join the Giants.’ I’m sure plenty of people would also like to hear Nakai’s take on Oda.”

So says a baseball reporter for a sports newspaper.

Japanese baseball is suddenly taking on a festive atmosphere. Can Nakai ride this wave?