Masataka Yoshida Joins Impressive Company After Electric Debut For Red Sox
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Boston may have lost its season opener Thursday, but Red Sox Nation did get a first look at new outfielder Masataka Yoshida in regular season action.
The 29-year-old made his Major League Baseball debut with the club in Thursday's 10-9 loss against the Baltimore Orioles and certainly was a bright spot for the club. Boston lost the contest, but Yoshida shined and finished the day 2-for-4 from the plate to go along with an RBI, run scored, and hit by pitch.
With Yoshida coming over from the Nippon Professional Baseball league, some have wondered how he would adjust to the difference pitch velocity. Also, some have speculated that Yoshida's biggest issue would specifically be inside fastballs.
Yoshida showed no signs of struggle Thursday -- although one game is a small sample size -- and absolutely crushed the ball all day, even in his at-bats that resulted in outs. In his first at-bat, Yoshida grounded out but smashed the ball 108.4 miles per hour. In his four at-bats, Yoshida's lowest exit velocity was 97.9 miles per hour on his first single of his career.
The new Boston outfielder hit the ball so hard Thursday, that he joined Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Colorado Rockies All-Star C.J. Cron as the only players with four hard hit balls on Opening Day. A hard hit ball is quantified as one hit over 95 miles per hour.
One game certainly is a small sample size, but Yoshida started off his MLB career in a big way. If he's able to keep it up, Boston may surprise some people in 2023. Yoshida and the Red Sox will return to the field Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park as they look to earn their first win of the season against the Baltimore Orioles.
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