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The “Macho Man” Cometh: Japanese Slugger Yoshida Masataka Powers into Major Leage Baseball

  • The Red Sox’s Yoshida Masataka hits a tape-measure shot for his first MLB home run in a game at Boston’s Fenway Park on April 3, 2023. (© Jiji)

    The Red Sox’s Yoshida Masataka hits a tape-measure shot for his first MLB home run in a game at Boston’s Fenway Park on April 3, 2023. (© Jiji)

  • Left: A young Yoshida plays in a game at Kōshien Stadium in Hyōgo Prefecture on March 28, 2010. While at Tsurugakehi High School in Fukui Prefecture, he batted cleanup and played in both the spring and summer national high school championships. Right: Yoshida warms up for Aoyama Gakuin University in a game at Meiji Jingū Stadium, Tokyo, on October 5, 2015. He served as the team’s cleanup hitter throughout his college career. (© Jiji)

    Left: A young Yoshida plays in a game at Kōshien Stadium in Hyōgo Prefecture on March 28, 2010. While at Tsurugakehi High School in Fukui Prefecture, he batted cleanup and played in both the spring and summer national high school championships. Right: Yoshida warms up for Aoyama Gakuin University in a game at Meiji Jingū Stadium, Tokyo, on October 5, 2015. He served as the team’s cleanup hitter throughout his college career. (© Jiji)

  • Yoshida trains with Murofushi Kōji at a gym in Tokyo on January 23, 2020. (© Jiji)

    Yoshida trains with Murofushi Kōji at a gym in Tokyo on January 23, 2020. (© Jiji)

  • Left: Yoshida during a game at Fukuoka Dome on May 5, 2018. That year with the Buffaloes he bat .321 and hit 26 home runs in 143 appearances. Right: Yoshida celebrates his three-run homer in the semifinal of the World Baseball Classic against Mexico in Miami on March 20, 2023, to put Japan back into the game. His performance at the tournament earned him praise as the “unofficial MVP.” (© Jiji)

    Left: Yoshida during a game at Fukuoka Dome on May 5, 2018. That year with the Buffaloes he bat .321 and hit 26 home runs in 143 appearances. Right: Yoshida celebrates his three-run homer in the semifinal of the World Baseball Classic against Mexico in Miami on March 20, 2023, to put Japan back into the game. His performance at the tournament earned him praise as the “unofficial MVP.” (© Jiji)

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