The post-season kicked off in the Bronx with a familiar ALDS foe, the Twins. Johan Santana and Joe Nathan silenced the Yankee bats in Game 1, twirling a 2-0 victory. Hideki was the only pinstriper to look comfortable at the plate. He remained locked in throughout the series, as New York turned the tables on Minnesota with three straight wins. Hideki finished with seven hits (including a double and home run) and three RBIs.

Up next were the Red Sox in the ALCS. The Yanks jumped all over Schilling in Game 1, a 10-7 victory. Hideki again spearheaded the offense, going 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and five RBIs. After a sparkling performance from Jon Leiber the following night, New York traveled to Boston up 2-0 in the series. Game 3 was a laugher, as the Yankees clobbered the Sox, 19-8. Hideki was the star, with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs. Boston’s pitchers had no answer for him.

Hideki continued his offensive assault in Game 4, but Rivera blew a save and the Red Sox stayed alive. They rode that momentum to another victory at home to send the series back to New York. In this one, Hideki almost broke the contest open with the bases loaded in the sixth, scorching a liner to right with two out. But Trot Nixon made a nice catch, and the Yankee threat went by the boards.

Schilling got his revenge in Game 6 in the Bronx, forcing the decisive Game 7. Brown had nothing for the Yanks, and Vazquez was ineffective in relief. The Red Sox won easily to complete the greatest comeback in baseball history. Hideki provided one of the few thrills of the night for the hometown fans, doubling off Pedro Martinez in the seventh. For the Yanks, it was too little, too late.

The 2005 Yankees put essentially the same team on the field as in 2004, though their pitching was bolstered by the addition of Randy Johnson. Yet in May, as the team stagnated in the standings, it appeared New York had dug titself a hole too deep to get out of.

The bats came alive, however, and the pitching staff benefitted from some unlikely contributors, including journeymen Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon, and rookie Chien-Ming Wang. Hideki had another nice season, with 23 homers, 116 RBIs and a .305 average. He played in every game, despite a sore ankle, and became just the first Yankee since Joe DiMaggio to knock in 100 runs in each of his first three major-league seasons.

A-Rod led the team (and the league) with 48 homers and a .610 slugging average, while Sheffield and Giambi turned in solid seasons. The Yankees and Red Sox ended up with same record, but New York earned the AL East crown by virtue of its superior record against the Bostonians.

The long march back to the post-season took a lot out of the players, and it showed in the ALDS against the Angels. They Yankees had leads in each of the five games, but Los Angeles won three to send New York home. Adding to the fans’ frustration was that the Chicago White Sox swept the Red Sox on the other side of the draw.

Over the winter, the Yankees re-signed Hideki to a four year-contract. Unfortunately, a broken wrist sidelined him for much of the 2006 season. He injured it on a sliding catch against the Red Sox in a May game and immediately underwent surgery. The injury ended a playing streak of 518 games. Four months later, Hideki returned to the New York lineup. The odd collapse of the Red Sox left the hobbled Yankees a clear path to the top of the division, and they had all but wrapped it up by the time Hideki finished his rehab.

Hideki went 4-for-4 in his first game back and finished the year with a .302 average and eight home runs in 51 games. The Yankees, however, fell again in the playoffs, this time to the hard-throwing Tigers. Hideki produced four hits n four games, but like his teammates failed to produce in pivotal situations.