After adapting to the American stage, Masataka Yoshida (Boston Red Sox) met his idol. This is Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies), one of the leading hitters in the Major League (MLB).
From the 6th, Boston played three consecutive matches with Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. His winning streak was stopped in the game on the 8th, but he ran a whopping 8 winning streak until the day before.
Yoshida’s bat was also hot. He contributed to the team’s winning series by recording 6 hits (1 home run) and 3 RBIs in 13 at-bats in the 3 consecutive matches. Since the Milwaukee Brewers game on the 21st of last month, he has continued a 16-game hitting streak.
Yoshida, who signed a 5-year, 90 million dollar contract with Boston ahead of this season, was in the 10% range until mid-April, but managed to rebound. His season batting average rose to 0.321.
There was one more thing that made Yoshida happy. It’s a meeting with Harper.
The two talked briefly before the game on the 7th. At this meeting, Harper gave Yoshida a bat he used in the National League Championship Series last year, a bat with a caricature of his face on it, and green spikes with his autograph as a gift.
Moved by Harper’s gift, Yoshida expressed his joy, saying, “That bat (competition bat) will be my treasure.”
Yoshida was a Harper fan even before coming to America. MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, said, “Yoshida wore Harper’s number 34 during his Japanese days, and also named his dog French bulldog Harper.” 토토사이트
Yoshida, who fell in love with Harper since college, said, “Harper is a year older than me, but by then he was already showing great play in the league. He was a really attractive player to me and had a great swing. That’s why I became a fan of him. “he explained.
This isn’t the first time Harper has given Yoshida a gift. When Yoshida played for the Orix Buffaloes, he sent a Philadelphia uniform for Yoshida and his dog. It means that Harper is also grateful for the existence of a player who idolized him.
“Being a respected person in any field is humbling. To be able to be that person for someone is pretty cool,” said Harper. Like, it’s really cool to be playing at this point in a difficult place like Boston,” he praised Yoshida.