Masataka Yoshida made his MLB and Red Sox debut on Opening Day, making waves with his bat before dropping an unforgettable quote about the experience.
After a memorable showing at the World Baseball Classic with Japan, Masataka Yoshida finally got the chance to show Red Sox fans what he can do at the MLB level on Opening Day.
The left fielder went 2-of-4 with one run scored and one RBI in his debut. Though Boston’s pitching let them down in the 10-9 loss to the Orioles, Yoshida’s performance at the plate was one to commend.
After the game, Yoshida gave Red Sox fans even more reason to love him with an incredible quote about his first Fenway experience.
“It was very cold, but my heart was burning,” Yoshida said, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.
Yoshida: “it was very cold, but my heart was burning.”
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) March 30, 2023
That’s pure baseball poetry right there. It also fit the vibes of the day for the Red Sox as a whole.
Masataka Yoshida’s poetic quote summed up Red Sox debut
It was indeed cold, literally and metaphorically.
Corey Kluber went 3.1 innings before being pulled with the bases loaded in the top of the fourth with the Red Sox already trailing 3-1. His replacement, Zack Kelly gave up a run on a wild pitch and walked in another run before the inning was done. Things got worse in the fifth inning as Ryan Brasier allowed three runs in painfully familiar fashion. Kaleb Ort gave up the final two runs for the Orioles in the top of the seventh. The pitching staff couldn’t have been collectively colder if they tried.
Even so, the Red Sox did seem to have burning hearts.
Despite training 8-2 going into the sixth, Yoshida and Triston Casas drove in runs to cut the deficit. After Baltimore made it 10-4 in the seventh, Boston’s hitters kept fighting. Caras drove in another un in the eighth. So did Christian Arroyo. The attempted rally kept right on in the ninth as Justin Turner sent a run home while a fielding error on Yoshida’s groundball madeit a one-run game.
The comeback attempt ultimately fell short, but you can’t say Yoshida and company didn’t show some heart.