Hideki Matsui holds baseball class in N.Y.

NEW YORK — Hideki Matsui, who played for the Yomiuri Giants and the New York Yankees, held a baseball class in New York on Saturday. Matsui enthusiastically instructed about 30 local elementary school students and other children.

During the class, Matsui, 48, served as a batting-practice pitcher, and also demonstrated a hit over the outfield fence when he came up to bat. Matsui said with a wry smile, “Every year, the distance of the balls I hit is getting shorter and shorter. I’m a little scared for tomorrow morning [and whether my body will hurt].” Due to the spread of novel coronavirus, this was the fist time the event was held in about three years.

“The most important thing is that the event went off without a hitch and the children finished the event with smiles on their faces.”

Matsui also referred to the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, who plays a dual role as a pitcher and hitter, saying, “I hope he stays healthy and continues to play. I think that only he knows what he is doing. As a fellow Japanese, I’m rooting for him.”