Opening season in Japan is ridiculous

[Steve Bildermann]

[Taro Toporific]

MLB sees happy returns to Japan
03/30/2004 1:42 PM ET / MLB.com
...."This works. The beginning of the season works," said Paul Archey, MLB's senior vice president .....

[ramchop]

I can't imagine what could possibly lead the NHK news tonight:

"I thought about swinging at the first pitch but I don't think anyone imagined I would hit a home run," Matsui said. "I didn't think I would. I just thought I would hit it as hard as a I could and the result came out as a homer. Since it was Opening Day, I was looking for a fastball. I think I was running really fast. I had a lot of adrenaline. This was excitement that I had never felt in the past."

[Taro Toporific]

'IT WAS MY GREATEST DAY'
New York Post, April 7What else can you say after Kaz Matsui shocked the world, and himself, last night with the greatest opening game a major league player ever had, considering he he was playing for a new team in a new country.

Batting from the left side, Matsui couldn't believe it after he homered to dead center on the first pitch he saw in the majors and followed that with two doubles and two walks, good for three RBIs and 10 total bases in the Mets' thunderous 7-2 victory over the Braves at Turner Field. After one game, Matsui and the Mets are batting 1.000.

"I've never seen anything like that before in my life," said wide-eyed Mike Piazza, who also homered, and who has seen many wondrous things in his career. "I told Art Howe that if you hang around this game long enough you will see everything."