Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora turned to Masataka Yoshida to play the hero, and he delivered in Friday night's Red Sox win.
The Boston Red Sox were in desperate need of a hero in Friday night's 1-0 win over the Detroit Tigers in front of a packed house at Fenway Park. And with the game in the balance in the bottom of the tenth inning, Red Sox manager Alex Cora turned to Masataka Yoshida, and he delivered.
Jarren Duran started the inning at second base as the "Manfred Man," and eventually runners were on the corners with one out. At that point, Cora opted to pinch-hit for struggling third baseman Caleb Durbin with Yoshida. With the infield drawn in to cut down the would-be winning run at the plate, Yoshida hit a high chopper to the right side, bouncing just over the leaping glovesof Tigers' first baseman Spencer Torkelson, scoring Duran and giving the Red Sox their first walk-off win of the season.
"He's a good hitter, man," Cora said of Yoshida, "In a situation that this place is going nuts, we know that we need to win games, and he stayed calm, got a pitch and hit it hard." He continued.
It has been a frustrating season for Yoshida, who has seen his playing time diminish the most due to the logjam of outfielders on the Red Sox roster. Yoshida has just 38 plate appearances in the first 19 games of the season, the lowest number of any of the five players rotating between the three outfield spots and designated hitter.
The lack of playing time is something Cora, a longtime big league utility man, can relate to: " I know how he feels, you know, you want to play. Let's be honest," he said of Yoshida. Cora applauded Yoshida's ability to stay ready despite a lack of playing time, saying "he's just a pro, a professional...it's not easy, I bet sometimes he wonders what's gonna happen, but at the same time he prepares, he's a great teammate...just staying ready."
“You never know when my number gets called,” Yoshida said per MassLive's Chris Cotillo. “There’s a challenge there that I don’t know when it’s going to be my time. Just trying to stay ready whenever my number gets called."
Apr 17, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Red Sox celebrate after defeating the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn ImagesThus far, Yoshida has produced when his number is called, hitting .310 in those 38 at-bats, with a team-high .474 on-base percentage. And on Friday night, with the Red Sox in desperate need of a win, he delivered yet again.
The Red Sox and Tigers will be back at it on Saturday afternoon when Brayan Bello takes the mound for Boston, opposite reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. First pitch from Fenway Park at 4:10 p.m. ET.
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