If Masataka Yoshida didn't have the attention of his Boston Red Sox teammates and coaches with him being away and playing in the World Baseball Classic, he does now.
Yoshida produced in the spotlight Monday night with Team Japan facing Team Mexico in a WBC semifinal and members of the Red Sox took notice of the 29-year-old's splendid contributions.
It was hard not to, especially since Yoshida delivered a game-tying three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh that drew plenty of reaction. Red Sox manager Alex Cora and shortstop Kiké Hernández both weighed in with simple tweets featuring emojis that signaled their elation of watching Yoshida come through in a big moment with his round-tripper.
The home run was one of three hits on the night for Yoshida, who also drew praise from WBC teammate and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar prior to the contest.
Yoshida wasn't the only member of the Red Sox to make a key contribution in the semifinal matchup. Alex Verdugo, who was playing for Mexico, came through with an RBI double in the top of the eighth to break the deadlock forced by Yoshida.
Justin Turner, who returned to Boston's spring training lineup Monday after his scary injury when he got hit in the face by a pitch, certainly liked what he saw from his new teammates.
The contributions of primarily Yoshida and Verdugo certainly excited the Red Sox on Monday, and possibly offered a preview of what is to come.
