Masataka Yoshida officially is a member of the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox introduced the Japanese outfielder at an introductory press conference Thursday as they announced Yoshida’s five-year, $90 million contract. The 29-year-old is likely to play left field for Boston but it will be his bat that makes the most noise. Through seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball, Yoshida had a career .327 batting average and a .960 OPS while hitting 133 home runs.
When asked about his decision to come to Boston, the Red Sox outfielder made it quite simple.
“I decided on the Red Sox because it looks like a really comfortable place to play in the city and on the field,” Yoshida said per his translator, as transcribed by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
The Green Monster will be a whole new challenge for Yoshida to take on but with him already feeling comfortable with what he saw from afar, the outfielder should fit right in.
Speier also added the Japanese staff of the Red Sox helped Yoshida make his decision as well.
