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Newly-acquired Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida had a perfect day at the plate for team Japan on Friday in the World Baseball Classic.
Yoshida, hitting fifth in Japan’s lineup against Korea, went 3-for-3 with 5 RBIs, a walk, and a sacrifice fly.
His biggest hit came with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning, when his two-run single gave his team a 4-3 lead.
Yoshida! Team Japan takes the lead after a HUGE 3rd inning. #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/GNNsFkeAPr
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 10, 2023
Thanks to Yoshida’s effort and Shohei Ohtani’s continued domination at the plate (.571 batting average with 3 runs and 3 RBIs in two games) team Japan won 13-4 and moved to the top of Pool B at 2-0.
The outfielder’s performance was quite the bounce-back from his game against China on Thursday where he went hitless in his three at bats while leaving five runners on base.
MASATAKI YOSHIDA WITH ANOTHER RBI SINGLE!
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) March 10, 2023
Now 3-for-3 with 4 RBI on the day.
pic.twitter.com/lbf3CM5AKw
Yoshida wasn’t the only Red Sox player to find success during Friday’s WBC Pool play.
First-baseman Yu Chang helped fuel the 11-7 comeback for Chinese Taipei against Italy on Friday. The win put Chinese Taipei at 1-1, good for second place in Pool A behind the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In the sixth inning, a two-run homer from Chang tied the game at 7. He finished the game 2-for-4 with three runs, 2 RBIs, and a walk.
OMG YU CHANG THIS GAME IS WILD pic.twitter.com/7u88ZjrUcx
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) March 10, 2023
Chang and Chinese Taipei will play next at 6 a.m. EST on Saturday against the undefeated Netherlands squad who feature Xander Bogaerts and Andrelton Simmons.
For Yoshida and team Japan, their next action comes at 5 a.m. EST against 1-1 Czech Republic. If Japan comes out on top in that game then they will lock up their spot in the next round of play since the top two teams from each pool advance.
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