The Boston Red Sox were without their regular designated hitter, Masataka Yoshida, for a month due to a complex thumb strain that required multiple medical consultations to diagnose.
Yoshida rejoined the struggling Red Sox on June 11 to play against the Philadelphia Phillies. Although he walked once, he didn’t record a hit in his return game. Typically, Yoshida takes a few games to regain his form after a long absence, but he was on a tear before his injury, boasting a .471/.571/.706 slash line over his last seven games.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora had anticipated Yoshida’s earliest return would be on July 13, so the left-handed hitter’s comeback two days ahead of schedule was unexpected.
Brotherly Love. pic.twitter.com/mhV3YX2CYy
— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 6, 2023
Yoshida’s early return may have been spurred by his admiration for Phillies star Bryce Harper, his favorite MLB player. Yoshida rejoined the Red Sox lineup just in time to face Harper and the Phillies. The pair first met last year on May 6, when the Sox and Phillies squared off in Philadelphia. Harper gave Yoshida signed green spikes and a game-used bat from the NLDS.
In Japan, MLB is considered the peak of baseball achievement, despite the sport’s popularity in the country. Before Japan’s World Baseball Classic final against the U.S., Shohei Ohtani urged his team to move past their admiration for players like Mike Trout and Mookie Betts to focus solely on winning.
Though just a year apart, Yoshida has long admired Harper. During his last year in college in Japan, Yoshida became a fan of Harper, even naming his French bulldog “Harper” and incorporating Harper’s initials and former jersey number in his Instagram handle, “bh_masataka34.” Yoshida didn’t play in Boston’s second game against Philadelphia on June 12 but was set to start in the series finale. With the Red Sox and Phillies rarely meeting, Yoshida eagerly seized the opportunity to compete against his idol.