Red Sox newcomer Masataka Yoshida was a force during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
The 29-year-old was 9-for-22 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in the seven-game tournament, helping lead Japan to its third WBC title with a victory over Team USA on Tuesday. Though the performance was enough to make teammates marvel, it wasn’t enough to earn him MVP honors.
Those went to two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who imparted some wisdom on Yoshida prior to their return to Major League Baseball.
“He gave me some advice, each situation, and how to wait and how to look at the ball against a pitcher in the US,” Yoshida said via translator Keiichiro Wakabayashi, per Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. “That was really comfortable and helpful for me.”
There’s certainly worse people to learn from than Ohtani, who has been one of MLB’s best players since arriving to the United States in 2018. The 28-year-old has already racked up an American League MVP award, two All-Star nods and the 2018 Rookie of the Year while setting a litany of offensive and pitching records.
The Red Sox don’t seem to have a set spot in the lineup for Yoshida just yet, despite knowing what they’d like to do on Opening Day. That’s not an issue for the “Macho Man,” however.
“To be honest, I don’t care where I hit,” Yoshida said through Wakabayashi, per Abraham. “The fact I focus on is I need to adjust to every single situation. With nobody on base, I need to get on base and with somebody in scoring position, I’ll try to get him to home plate. That’s what I’ll focus on.”
