Hideki Matsui Hits 500th Career Home Run

Okay, 332 of those 500 homers came in Japan, so no one is planning a bust of Matsui in Cooperstown. Many U.S. baseball fans probably wouldn’t even think of Matsui as a prototypical slugger - it’s taken him eight-and-a-half years to pile up 168 homers in the states. Still, though, 500 career jacks is an accomplishment.

Matsui hit 34 or more homers in his last seven seasons with the Yomiuri Giants, including 50 in 2002, his last season in Japan.