New York Yankees leftfielder Hideki Matsui at a media conference on May 16.

The injury ended Matsui's streak of 518 consecutive games played with the Yankees and 1,768 overall, including his stint starting Aug. 22, 1993, in his rookie season with the Yomiuri Giants.

Yankees manager Joe Torre said after the game at Yankee Stadium that Matsui is expected to require at least three months to convalesce before returning to action.

Other Yankees were not so optimistic.

"It's going to be a long time," General Manager Brian Cashman was quoted by The New York Times as saying. "Whether we get him back before the season's over, we won't know for a while."

Johnny Damon, the center fielder, said the wrist is so vital to a player that he was worried Matsui could miss the rest of the season.

When Matsui tried to make a sliding catch in left field on Mark Lorreta's shallow fly ball in the first inning, his glove got caught in the grass, causing his arm to twist awkwardly as the ball rolled out onto the field.

On May 12, Matsui underwent successful surgery on the wrist at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

A cast was put around Matsui's left arm, a spokesman for the team said, adding he would start rehabilitation in two to three weeks.

The Japan Times Weekly: May 20, 2006
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