Masataka Yoshida’s Breakout Helps Him Join Ichiro Suzuki In MLB History

It only took 20 games for Red Sox newcomer Masataka Yoshida to etch his name in Major League Baseball history.

Yoshida, who signed a five-year contract with Boston this offseason, had a rough start to the season but has absolutely exploded onto the scene over the past week. The 29-year-old has belted three home runs in his last four games and extended his hitting streak to seven games in the Red Sox’s loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday afternoon. Over the stretch, Yoshida has gone 13-for-25 with three home runs and 10 RBIs.

That was good enough to make MLB history.

Yoshida is the first Japanese-born player with at least two total bases in seven straight games since Ichiro Suzuki did it in May 2010, according to ESPN Stats and Information. That stretch for Ichiro was the longest such streak of his career.

In the aforementioned time span, Yoshida has seen his batting average rise from .167 to .288 and almost doubled his slugging percentage. In fact, as of Wednesday, he has a higher OPS (.807) than Angels superstar and fellow countryman Shohei Ohtani (.795). The defense has improved, as well.

It was a pretty good week for the man they call Masa.

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