Masataka Yoshida is probably not going to the MLB All-Star Game, however there’s no denying the influence the Japanese standout has had since becoming a member of the Red Sox.
Look no additional than his efficiency on Sunday.
Yoshida went 2 for 4 with the game-winning dwelling run in Boston’s 4-3 win over the Oakland Athletics, crushing an reverse subject shot to the Green Monster seats to interrupt a tie within the backside of the eighth inning. By doing so he and the Red Sox capped off a three-game sweep and go into the All-Star break having received 5 straight and eight of their final 9.
“That was awesome,” Yoshida mentioned through translator Keiichiro Wakabayashi. “I think that’s the best result (of the year so far).”
Coming into Sunday Yoshida ranked third within the American League with a .313 batting common, and earlier than hitting the go-ahead homer he additionally used his legs to place himself in place to tie the sport. After reaching on a single he stole second and took third on a throwing error, setting Christian Arroyo up for his ensuing RBI double to make it 3-3 within the sixth.
It was Yoshida’s sixth stolen base of the season, and it got here hours after Red Sox supervisor Alex Cora joked about how he’d caught the membership without warning by even swiping 5. After the sport Cora provided extra reward for the outfielder, saying he’s confirmed lots of people flawed since coming to MLB.
“I know a lot of people still have question marks, but what he’s doing is what good hitters do,” Cora mentioned of Yoshida. “He puts the ball in play, hits it hard, he takes his walks and doesn’t strike out. He hits the ball all over the place against lefties and righties and I’m glad we took a chance.”
“The only thing I can do is prepare well,” Yoshida mentioned. “So that’s one of my goals for the second half of the season.”
Though the Red Sox had no scarcity of baserunners by the early innings, they didn’t break by for his or her first hit till the underside of the fifth, when Justin Turner hit a double excessive off the Green Monster and simply barely missed a house run.
Prior to that time Boston had six males attain — together with not less than one in each inning — on three walks, two hit by pitches and an error. In spite of that visitors Oakland starter J.P. Sears received the job achieved, and the one rating the Red Sox may handle towards him over 5 innings was an unearned run on an Adam Duvall sacrifice fly within the first.
Meanwhile, Oakland pulled forward 3-1 on a throwing error by catcher Jorge Alfaro within the first, a bases-loaded stroll by Ryan Noda within the second and a solo dwelling run by Brent Rooker within the fifth.
Once Sears left the sport, nevertheless, the Red Sox bats returned to life. Duvall greeted Oakland right-hander Paul Blackburn with a solo shot to the Green Monster to steer off the sixth, and shortly afterwards Boston tied the sport at 3-3 because of Yoshida and Arroyo.
Boston’s pitching did its half holding the sport inside attain.
Opener Tayler Scott pitched the primary and allowed simply the unearned run on Alfaro’s throwing error, and rookie left-hander Chris Murphy restricted the Athletics to at least one run regardless of strolling 4 over three innings whereas throwing simply 38 of his 67 pitches for strikes.
Murphy confronted an particularly powerful spot within the second when he allowed a single and two walks to load the bases with one out. Though he did stroll in a run, he managed to keep away from catastrophe by getting Tony Kemp to floor right into a fielder’s alternative and later pressured No. 3 hitter Seth Brown to fly out to finish the inning.
Josh Winckowski walked an analogous tightrope over his two innings, permitting 5 hits and a run on Rooker’s solo shot. He got here out after permitting two straight singles to open the seventh, however just lately activated lefty Joely Rodriguez was capable of escape the jam with three straight outs, together with two strikeouts to finish the menace.
“It’s feels special to be able to come through today, even more after the injuries I’ve had and not being able to pitch as much as I wanted to,” Rodriguez mentioned through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. “For me today to come through for the team and win the game means a lot.”
Chris Martin then labored round a pair of singles to pitch a scoreless eighth, and nearer Kenley Jansen locked issues down for his nineteenth save of the season.
Boston will now relaxation up over the subsequent 4 days earlier than choosing again up at Wrigley Field on Friday to start out a three-game sequence towards the Chicago Cubs. In the meantime Jansen will signify the Red Sox within the MLB All-Star Game, which shall be performed Tuesday in Seattle beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
Source: www.bostonherald.com