Masataka Yoshida of the Boston Red Sox Sharing Some Very Impressive History with Ichiro Suzuki
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After a slow start to the season, Boston Red Sox free agent acquisition Masataka Yoshida is sizzling at the plate. The left-hander, who helped lead Team Japan to a World Baseball Classic title, has homered in three of his last four games and has put together a seven-game hitting streak.
Yoshida homered in the second inning of Wednesday's afternoon game against the Baltimore Orioles and now has at least two total bases in seven straight games. That's the longest such streak by a Japanese-born player since Ichiro Suzuki did it in May of 2010. That was the longest streak of Ichiro's career and Yoshida will have a chance to break that record on Friday when the Red Sox host the Cleveland Guardians.
Yoshida is currently hitting .276 on the season with four home runs and 16 RBIs. He's added two stolen bases and has posted a .832 OPS.
The 29-year-old signed a five-year deal worth $90 million this offseason after posting a very solid resume in Japan. He is a lifetime .327 hitter in Japan and hit 133 career homers with 421 RBI.
Unfortunately, despite Yoshida's best efforts and history-making streak, the Red Sox haven't had much else going offensively against the Orioles. At the time of this posting, the Orioles lead 6-2 in the top of the ninth inning and are on their way to winning the series against the American League East rivals.
The Red Sox will be off on Thursday before going back home for that series against the Guardians. Friday's game begins at 7:10 p.m. ET.
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