Boston Red Sox' Masataka Yoshida Takes Compatriot Yusei Kikuchi Deep on Tuesday

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida hit his fifth home run of the season on Tuesday night, taking Yusei Kikuchi of the Toronto Blue Jays deep to right center field. Both players hail from Japan and it was the first time that the two players have faced each other since 2018.

Earlier this season, Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida struck out against compatriot Shohei Ohtani.

On Tuesday night, Yoshida homered against another compatriot, Yusei Kikuchi of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Yoshida turned around a 95 mph fastball and took it out to deep right center field. Outfielder George Springer made a jump at the ball over the short wall at Fenway Park, but came up short.

Both Yoshida and Kikuchi hail from Japan and this was their first meeting since 2018. The TBS broadcast of the game described Kikuchi as having won the battles in Japan -- so Yoshida got some payback on Tuesday.

Yoshida helped Team Japan win the World Baseball Classic title this spring. Yoshida did not play for Team Japan. 

Yoshida is on a hot streak for the Red Sox and now has five home runs and 18 RBI. He's added two stolen bases and has posted an .885 OPS. 

The 29-year-old signed a five-year deal worth $90 million this offseason after posting a very solid resume in Japan. He is a lifetime .327 hitter in Japan and hit 133 career homers with 421 RBI.

As for Kikuchi, he's in his second year in Toronto. As of this posting, he's 4-0 with a 3.52 ERA. He's struck out 30 batters in 30.2 innings.

For his career, he's 25-31 with a 4.93 ERA. He made his debut in 2019 with the Seattle Mariners and made the all-star team with Seattle in 2021. That year he finished 7-9 with a 4.41 ERA.

Entering play on Tuesday, here's a look at the AL East standings:

Entering play on Tuesday, here's a look at the American League East Standings:

1) Tampa Bay Rays, 23-6

2) Baltimore Orioles, 19-9, 3.5 GB

3) Toronto Blue Jays, 18-11 (5.0 GB)

4) Boston Red Sox, 16-14 (7.5 GB)

5) New York Yankees, 15-15 (8.5 GB)

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