‘He’s finding his rhythm’: Masataka Yoshida saves Red Sox, forces extra innings with two-run homer

TOPICS:
‘He’s finding his rhythm’: Masataka Yoshida saves Red Sox, forces extra innings with two-run homer

Posted By: jasabacklink July 6, 2024

Red Sox

There were two outs in the top of the ninth inning before Yoshida turned his long at-bat into a game-tying shot.

Masataka Yoshida was trending upward heading into Friday’s rivalry showdown, and he made a heroic swing for his first home run since April. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Yankees fans were on their feet when Masataka Yoshida fell to 0-2 in the count and New York was one strike away from a 3-1 win over the Red Sox on Friday night.

Undeterred by his 0-for-3 start at the plate, and with his back against the wall, Yoshida worked his way into a full count and then fouled off two straight pitches to stay alive in the batter’s box. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Boston’s designated hitter launched a two-run shot deep into right field to tie the game.

The fans in New York rained down boos on relief pitcher Clay Holmes as he left the mound following the blown save.

At the start of extra innings, Ceddanne Rafaela blasted a two-run homer of his own to secure a 5-3 win for the Red Sox.

Yoshida’s season has been all over the place this season, but was trending upwards even before his heroic effort against the rival Yankees. In his last five games (June 30-July 5), Yoshida is 8-21 (.380) with 3 RBI.

“He’s finding his rhythm. We know he’s a good hitter,” Alex Cora said of Yoshida postgame. “He hasn’t hit for power, but a short porch in right, got a good pitch to hit and drove it.”

As Cora alluded to, home runs are few and far between for the DH this season. Friday marked just his third long ball of the year, and previously Yoshida’s most recent homer came on April 20.

On the season, Yoshida is batting .259 with 18 RBI and a .327 on-base percentage. If he wasn’t already feeling back in the groove offensively, Friday’s clutch performance should provide an extra confidence boost for Yoshida.