Over his seven seasons with the New York Yankees, Hideki Matsui(notes) seemingly blended into the background of the Yankees universe, his talent drowned out by the star power of those in the lineup around him. In Japan, he has always played second banana to Ichiro(notes), the face of all things Major League Baseball to the Japanese population.

But after Wednesday's big performance against the Phillies, Matsui turned into the king of both spheres, making the World Series a bit more true to its name by becoming the first Japanese player to be named World Series MVP.

From the Associated Press:

"Japanese workers crammed into downtown electronics stores to watch the final few innings on giant TVs. The game ended just before 2 p.m. local time Thursday, giving workers an excuse to take an extended lunch break.

"'All the news recently has been about Ichiro Suzuki,' said office worker Hiroyuki Takeuchi, who took the morning off to watch the game. 'But Matsui's presence is huge. He overcame injuries and came through with the performance of a lifetime. As a Japanese, I'm very proud today.'"

The AP speculates that the 35-year-old Matsui could return to Japan to play for the Hanshin Tigers — the fierce rival of his former team, the Yomiuri Giants – if he doesn't sign a new deal with the Yankees. Whether or not a few hot days against the Phillies will talk the Yankees into bringing back Matsui's bad knees remains to be seen, but the outcome will never take away from the one day he was the brightest star in the baseball world.   

Related: Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, New York Yankees, 2009 postseason on the Stew, 2009 World Series on the Stew