One night after blasting two home runs, Hideki Matsui went 0-for-5 and came up short in his bid for a triple crown Friday as the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants triumphed 6-2 over the Hiroshima Carp in their season finale.
Matsui struck out three times just one night after he became the first Japanese player since 1986 to hit 50 homers in one season, dropping his average to .334 -- and virtually knocking him out the batting title race with the Chunichi Dragons' Kosuke Fukudome (.342).
Matsui, who also grounded out twice, still has a commanding lead in the home-run title race, with 50, and is leading for RBIs with 107.