'Macho Man' Yoshida displaying savage power in World Baseball Classic
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Masataka Yoshida continued his hot start to the World Baseball Classic on Sunday by homering for the second consecutive game.
His latest dinger was a go-ahead, two-run clout in the seventh inning versus Australia. Up to that point, the Japanese had been held scoreless by the Aussies and were just seven outs away from being on the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets in Classic history.
But when Yoshida got a down-and-in slider from Australian left-hander Jon Kennedy, he sent it a projected 394 feet out to right field. Yoshida had no doubt that he had just changed the complexion of the game, dropping his bat immediately upon contact. It was a pivotal blow in Japan's 4-3 triumph.
"We were facing a series of tough pitchers, and I just wanted to take my best swing," Yoshida said after the game. "Luckily, it ended up being a home run."
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That home run came one day after Yoshida unloaded on a center-cut curveball during a win over Korea. It was another no-doubter and the third of three homers in the inning for Japan, which has bopped six home runs through three Classic contests. Yoshida is living up to his "Macho Man" nickname, with three extra-base hits, six RBIs and a 1.783 OPS in the tournament. His two homers are already half of his 2025 total in 55 games during an injury-shortened campaign with the Red Sox. He spent much of the first half of the year recovering from 2024 right shoulder surgery.
That shoulder sure looks healthy in the World Baseball Classic now.
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Japan is undefeated and clinched the top seed in Pool C with Sunday's win. Yoshida's power is a big reason why, and it could continue to be a factor as the reigning champions push for their fourth Classic crown.