Hiro Komae/AP Photos
TOKYO – Hideki Matsui crushed a long fly ball into the Tokyo Dome’s right-field stands, giving the Yankees a 5-1 lead over the Rays. And from inside the stadium, a nine-year old Seiya Suzuki watched the ball fly.
“That stuck with me, and it was a great moment,” Suzuki said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry.
Watching that 2004 season-opening series, and considering Matsui’s career in NPB and MLB, Suzuki also was struck by the difference between the two leagues. At the time, he didn’t think playing stateside would be a possibility for him.