Hideki Matsui's baseball career in the United States ends the same way it began: as a member of the New York Yankees. Matsui retired as a Yankee on Sunday, as he signed a one-day minor league deal with the team and later inked his retirement papers in a ceremony before the Yankees faced the Rays at Yankee Stadium. Matsui officially retired in December, but went through this process to ensure that his final day in baseball would be as a member of the Yankees, who he played seven seasons for. "I think this moment will be a moment I never forget," Matsui said through an interpreter prior to the game. "To be able to retire as a member of the team which I aspired to and I looked up to, I think there's nothing more fulfilling." The Yankees began the ceremony on Sunday by flashing "Thank You Hideki!" across the video board in center. Highlights of Matsui's career were displayed, and Matsui was driven along the warning track from center field to home plate as the fans gave him a standing ovation. Source: ESPN New York
