Masataka Yoshida (30, Boston Red Sox), a Japanese hitter who has never played a single game in the major leagues, also joined for the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
On the 5th, Yoshida appeared for the first time at the official training session for the Japanese WBC national team held at Buffaloes Stadium in Maishima, Osaka, Japan. On this day, Yoshida attracted as much attention as Shohei Ohtani with his exciting free betting. With Yoshida’s joining, the Japanese national team finally built a complete team.메이저사이트
Ahead of this season, Yoshida chose to challenge the major leagues in the US as a posting system and signed a 5-year, 90 million dollar (approximately 117 billion won) contract with Boston. However, due to the limitations of his physique (173cm, 80kg), the local media is putting a question mark on his success.
He had not yet made his official major league debut, and had only gone 1-for-5 in two games during the spring training exhibition games. He is facing the first season of his challenge in a situation where his position is not yet complete. However, Yoshida chose to play with the Japanese national team and the WBC rather than the major leagues.
Yoshida’s unusual and bold decision impressed Japan’s national team coach Kuriyama. According to local Japanese media such as ‘Daily Sports’ and ‘Nikkan Sports’, coach Kuriyama greeted Yoshida with a hug.
Director Kuriyama said at a press conference, “I’ve said it many times, but I think Yoshida’s decision is the beginning of a piece of history. In particular, those who know the major leagues well will know it well,” he said. “It is sending a great message to baseball players in the future. He hugged Yoshida,” he repeatedly thanked Yoshida for refusing his major league debut and running for the national competition.
Yoshida said in an interview with local media, “I have been preparing for the game. He is taking the significance of the Japanese national team uniform seriously. He thinks that if he gathers strength, he can win the championship.”