Magic in the greens? All 7 of Red Sox's wins in these City Connects are walk-offs

BOSTON -- Sometime around the bottom of the fifth inning Friday night, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Masataka Yoshida to get ready for a pinch-hitting opportunity.

While his turn didn’t come until the bottom of the 10th inning, Yoshida took advantage of it, poking a pinch-hit, walk-off single for a 1-0 win against the Tigers.

“They had five infielders, so I just wanted to put one up in the air, ideally,” Yoshida said. “I think I just got lucky.”

For what it’s worth, all seven of the team’s wins in its green City Connect jerseys they introduced last season have been walk-offs.

On a team crowded with outfielders -- two reigning Gold Glove winners in Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, plus mainstay Jarren Duran and cornerstone Roman Anthony -- the left-handed-hitting Yoshida has been a bit of an odd man out.

“There’s a challenge there, in that I don’t know when it’s going to be my time,” Yoshida said.

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Cora applauded Yoshida’s diligence.

“In a situation that this place is going nuts and we know we need to win games, he stayed calm, got his pitch and hit it hard,” Cora said. “I know it’s not easy, but having that guy on the bench, or Roman, or Jarren in a situation like that, you’re going to have to pick your poison on the other side.”

Despite an inconsistent role, Yoshida is batting .310 (9-for-29). Signed to a five-year, $90 million contract that runs through the end of next year, Yoshida joined the Red Sox as one of the top players in the Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball league.

He sports a .283 average with 29 home runs and 159 RBIs over 315 career games. The walk-off Friday represented Yoshida’s first.

“That was really exciting,” Yoshida said. “As a player, whenever I can help the team win, that’s a great feeling.”