Before taking the field for the first at-bat of Game 5 of the World Series, Shohei Ohtani was treated to a blast from the past when Hideki Matsui, the former Yankees hitter nicknamed “Godzilla” by fans, threw out the first pitch of New York's final home game of the fall classic.

A brutal burn by the Yankees? A tricky use of their legends to get in Ohtani's head? Or singly a fun way to tie together MLB history, allowing the two men to share the field in the World Series?

Regardless of the intentions, the reaction was as intended, as fans went wild for Matsui's appearance, cheering him on as he took the field to throw out the first pitch.

Unfortunately for Ohtani, he didn't tribute Matsui with his first at-bat, as the Dodgers left the field scoreless at the end of the first and found themselves down 0-4 by the end of the second. Still, considering Matsui hit 175 home runs and 760 RBIs over his professional career in the MLB, the Yankees certainly did the 50-year-old from Neagari, Ishikawa, Japan, proud, with Aaron Judge starting the scoring flurry with a home run followed up by a bomb from Jazz Chisholm.

Speaking about Matsui after tying the slugger with home runs at 175, Ohtani celebrated the Japanese home run hitter, telling The Athletic that he is proud to have his name in the same conversation as “Godzilla.”

“It's an honor to be on the same stage as him,” Shohei Ohtani told The Athletic back in April. “He's known as a power hitter. Left-handed hitter like me. It's just an honor to be associated with somebody like that.”

Will Ohtani be able to honor Matsui with a home run of his own? Or will this game remain firmly a Yankees slugfest, with Judge and company forcing the series back to LA? Fans and Matsui will have to wait to find out.

New York Yankees former player Hideki Matsui throws out the ceremonial first pitch before game four of the 2024 MLB World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium.
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