u/Infinite_Response113

It was June 29, 2026. The Red Sox were a whopping 11 games behind .500, and it seemed their season was all but over. But a slight glimmer of hope remained for the Red Sox—the team was on the verge of sweeping the Yankees. Up 2-0 in Game 4 until the ninth inning, with elite closer Chapman up next, the sweep seemed simply to be a fait accompli.

But then the unthinkable happened, or perhaps, given how the team was performing all year, the expected. Chapman made a stunning choke, giving up two runs for the Yankees to tie the game. Then the dreaded Yankees quickly scored two in the top of the tenth, practically dashing all hopes of a Red Sox season comeback. The baseball gods, it appeared, assigned a Sisyphean fate to our beloved team—as soon as it seemed we had climbed out of the dungeons of mediocrity, we inevitably came tumbling right back down.

Enter Masataka Yoshida. After the team scored the Manfred runner home, we were still down 1 in the bottom of the tenth, and with only one runner on first base, the baseball analytical machines that be also destined us likely to lose. But Masataka Yoshida was at the plate. The man with elite plate discipline, with superb contact skills, the man who simply gets on base. The Yankees pitcher, and the Yankees fans, expected a weak GIDP, as the experts and fans commonly derided Yoshida for. And yet, Masataka Yoshida defied them all. He hit a beautiful, cleanly struck double down into right field, advanced the first base runner to third, with immaculate running form, himself slid into second. I urge everyone to rewatch that play in his memory here.

With the runners no on second and third with nobody out, and only one run down, all of a sudden the Red Sox were expected to win. And we did win. Our season turned around, and we know the rest of the story (we are now a winning team). But it came at a steep cost. You see, when Masataka Yoshida slid into second at the play, he did so with the most immaculate, most perfect running form ever conceived of when mankind was created. Take a closer look at his sliding form here. I’m not a scientist, but I reckon the sheer forces of such a play indubitably gave Yoshida a small hamstring tear, through which Yoshida has played through several months. Since that Yankees series, Yoshida has hitting .324 with 36 hits, 4 homers, 18 RBIs and 18 runs scored in 34 games. He knew he was injured, yet gave it his absolute all in everything he had yet in the precious little time he had left. He helped lift our team from 11 games behind .500 to over 10 games above. He sacrificed his hamstring, but in doing so saved our season.

I hope this sub remembers his sacrifice. When we go to the World Series this year, it must be “For Masa.” Every time we win, it will be “For Masa.” He did the same for us, it is now high time to do the same for him.

He’s solidified that role after his performance the past few months and especially last night. We don’t win last night without his ABs. 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 clutch 1 RBI. His OPS is also now 0.837 the past month.

Yoshida is 96% percentile in strikeout rate. That means only 4% of major leaguers strikeout less than him. He always works the counts and puts the ball in play, two especially useful traits in the playoffs. Teams make more fielding errors in playoffs because the pressure is higher, so making contact is at a special premium.

Some of you guys have forgotten that Yoshida literally won us Game 1 of the playoffs last year against the Yankees (2 RBIs in a 2 run win). For the entirety of the 2025 playoff run, Yoshida batted .571 with a 1.143 OPS. He is a clutch playoff batter.

Posting this because many have suggested removing Masa when Anthony or Mead get back. This would be a big mistake imo. Any returning guys we should slot in the field. Masa stays as starting DH in our World Series run this year. The Dodgers will be wishing they had Yoshida instead of Ohtani after we sweep them in the finals.

EDIT: Also, of our 5 losses in our 30-5 run, right now, 3 of them we did not start Yoshida.

Just beat the dodgers with Yamamoto without our team fully healthy. Crochet is honestly pretty much just as good as Skubal.

Crochet/Suarez/Gray/Tolle/Bennett can get the job done against their with. With Mead and Anthony back and Yoshida continuing his form we can beat their bats

Chad just confirmed this in post game interview. Said probably won’t pitch like 95 pitches but he IS starting!

Vibes are immaculate

Bro just hates New York lol, got to respect it

Been following the team all year and I just found out today that it’s spelled “Willson” not “Wilson.” I am genuinely shook.

Nats have a right handed pitcher. Romy is a right handed batter. He just went 0-4 against the Yankees when Masa got the crucial double.

Masa’s double against the Yankees was way more important than Duran’s walk off hit at 4-4. We were down then 4-3 when Yoshida was at bat with only runner at first, and expected to lose from probability standpoint. After that hit we became expected to win.

I don’t understand how much management actually hates Yoshida. God forbid we actually give Yoshida consistent playing time especially when he’s had a great past couple of games?

Yoshida was 1/4 yesterday with 1 run which is perfectly good.

EDIT:

Masa's stats the last 7 days: batting .364 with a 1.144 OPS. This is gross mismanagement

Just saying some you guys have been downvoting me for weeks about playing Yoshida more and we finally do too late and he ties us the game

Dude is a beast lol