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Watch: Masataka Yoshida blasts first home run to help Japan advance

The outfielder's two-run blast put the nail in Italy's coffin.

Masataka Yoshida now has a tournament-high 10 RBI over his first five games.

March 16, 2023

Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida continued to dominate in the World Baseball Classic on Thursday night as he added a home run to his tournament stats.

Yoshida’s two-run bomb in the seventh inning put the exclamation point on Japan’s 9-3 win over Italy in the tournament’s quarterfinals. The shot was Yoshida’s sixth hit of the WBC and represented his ninth and 10th RBI.

Masataka's first home run of the #WorldBaseballClassic was a beauty. pic.twitter.com/5h4GAhO7lC
— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 16, 2023

Yoshida’s 10 RBI not only leads team Japan but is also the highest mark in the entire tournament. His .400 batting average is third on the team behind Shohei Ohtani and Yuhei Nakamura who has only gotten five at-bats.

Up next for team Japan is a battle in the semifinal round against either Puerto Rico or Mexico. Both teams advanced to the quarterfinals following victories on Wednesday.

Mexico knocked out Canada and won their pool with a 10-3 victory, while Puerto Rico eliminated Rafael Devers and the Dominican Republic, 5-2, to advance.

Whichever squad he faces, Yoshida will get the chance to knockout one of his Red Sox teammates from the WBC.

Both squads have players that he’ll soon see playing alongside him in Boston’s outfield. Kiké Hernández represents Puerto Rico while Alex Verdugo plays for Mexico.