Red Sox fans who woke up early Friday to watch the World Baseball Classic got a taste of why Boston made signing Masataka Yoshida a priority this offseason.
Yoshida made an early impression in Red Sox camp before leaving Florida to return to his native Japan to play in the WBC. On Friday, he played a major role against Korea as Japan further solidified itself as a favorite to win the tournament.
The Red Sox outfielder collected three hits to go along with a sacrifice fly, as he drove in five runs for Japan.
Yoshida was at the center of a game-changing rally in the third inning after Korea jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The Japanese team responded with four runs of their own that electrified the Tokyo Dome.
Yoshida then plated Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani with a sac fly later in the game.
The Red Sox newcomer added another RBI single for good measure in a sixth-inning rally that blew the game open, and then he also drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning as the game really got away from Korea.
