When the Red Sox met the Yankees last weekend in Bronx, Masataka Yoshida got his first taste of the historic rivalry.
Yoshida struggled in his first series at Yankee Stadium, he went 0-for-11 with two walks and two strikeouts. His bat seemingly went quiet and upon returning home to Fenway Park for the three-game series with the Rockies, Yoshida managed just one hit in five at-bats.
This prompted Alex Cora to give the 29-year-old outfielder the series finale off against the Rockies. This move was met with criticism from the fan base, because not only did he sit Yoshida, Rafael Devers also didn’t play.
Despite the fan reaction, Cora seemed to have made the right decision because the Sox won the series finale against the Rockies. More importantly, he was able to give both his sluggers a day off before the scheduled day off on Thursday to rest them up for the Yankees series this weekend.
The time-off worked because it snapped Yoshida out of his mini-slump (1-for-15 between the Yankees and Rockies series).
“When he’s struggling or if he doesn’t feel great physically, there’s a lot of pulled ground balls and not too many line drives the other way,” said Cora to reporters before Boston’s series opener against the Yankees on Friday. “If you look at his chart the last two weeks, that’s been the case.”
Yoshida opened the series against the Yanks with four hits (4-for-4), including two doubles, a run and three RBI. It was his first career four-hit game in the big leagues.
Masataka Yoshida off the monster and the Red Sox lead! pic.twitter.com/mkQXOW8FjO
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 16, 2023
“You saw him last week, everything was rolling over. He was off balance,” said Cora. “Before the first double, you could see. He was able to see the ball and stay behind it. He’s a good hitter. He had some good swings tonight.”
The Sox learned while scouting Yoshida and talking to his former team, the Orix Buffaloes that if he is feeling fatigued, he will fall into poor mechanics at the plate.
Yoshida is putting together a strong rookie campaign where he’s collected 73 hits, 17 doubles, one triple, seven homers, 36 RBI with a .862 OPS. In addition, Yoshida has only struck out 28 times while walking 25 times.
Those numbers have garnered him attention as the leader in the clubhouse for American League Rookie of the Year. However, Yoshida doesn’t view himself as a rookie.
"I am a little bit older," Yoshida, 29, said through interpreter Kei Wakabayashi in an interview with ESPN.
Whether or not Yoshida will win the AL Rookie of the Year remains to be seen. In the meantime, Cora has the intel on how to better utilize his outfielder.
Red Sox Provide Update on Tanner Houck
Tanner Houck was drilled in the face with a line drive off the bat of Yankees’ catcher Kyle Higashioka on Friday night. The scary moment came during the fifth inning when an 89.7 mph liner struck Houck.
He immediately went down on all fours on the mound and then began to hold his face. The trainers came running out of the dugout to attend to the Sox righty. After a few moments, Houck walked off the field with the trainer and Cora while holding a towel on his face.
Scary sight at Fenway as Tanner Houck gets hit in the face.
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) June 17, 2023
He did walk off under his own power and seemed to motion to his teammates.
Awful.
pic.twitter.com/SCHPwj2WFN
The Red Sox initially announced the injury as a facial contusion.
“He was conscious the whole time so that’s good,” Cora told reporters post-game. “Obviously the cut. ... But we got lucky there.”
Houck received stitches and underwent tests in the hospital following leaving the game.
On Saturday, the Red Sox released a statement regarding Houck’s condition: “Tanner Houck was evaluated last night at Mass General Hospital. He suffered a facial fracture but is currently resting at home in stable condition. Follow-up appointments next week will determine next steps and a treatment plan.”
Higashioka found out from Red Sox players during the game that Houck was “doing all right” to help put the Yanks catcher at ease.
“To be honest, at first I was hoping he got a glove on it. I wasn’t sure exactly if it squared him up. Once I was able to turn around, it definitely looked like it was pretty bad,” Higashioka said to the New York Post Saturday prior to the game being postponed by rain.
Houck’s injury brought back memories of when former Sox righty Bryce Florie was hit in the face with a line drive back in 2000, which ironically was against the Yankees.
Florie was called upon by then Sox skipper Jimy Williams to face Yanks outfielder Ryan Thompson. The then 30-year-old Florie threw a first-pitch slider to Thompson who drilled it back up the middle, striking him in the face.
Florie collapsed to the mound, the gruesome scene was etched in the memories of Sox fans.
Luckily, Houck’s injury was nothing like Florie’s and fans and media will learn more as Houck continues to undergo tests this week.
Blaze Jordan Continues to Rake at the Plate
When scrolling through Twitter, you can usually find Red Sox prospect Blaze Jordan hitting homers over Greenville’s “mini monster” in left field.
He’s been showcasing what he might be able to do once he gets a chance to hit the ball over the Green Monster at Fenway Park.
Coming into Saturday night, Jordan has been sizzling at the plate for High-A Greenville Drive. He’s batting .323 with 19 doubles, one triple, nine homers and 46 RBI in just 57 games.
Jordan has two homers and eight RBI over his last three games. As continues to hammer pitching for High-A Greenville, he is making a strong case for a promotion to Double-A Portland.
That gets out in a BLAZE of glory! Blaze Jordan's ninth BOMB of the year clears the Monster.
— Greenville Black Spinners (@GreenvilleDrive) June 16, 2023
Drive 3, 'Hoppers 1 pic.twitter.com/tGz6hYumcU
That will require more promotions within the system, the Sea Dogs roster is loaded with infielders at the moment.
Jordan is known for his YouTube tape measure homers as a teenager. Particularly a 395-foot blast as an 11-year-old in the Power Showcase in Arlington, Texas.
The former 2020 third-round pick has dramatically lowered his strikeouts this season. Last season, the right-handed slugger struck out at a 25.8% clip. This season, he’s cut that down to 14.6%
“The biggest thing for me has been my pitch selection and getting pitches to drive early in the count and not swinging at waste pitches,” Jordan said to Baseball Prospect Journal.
“I feel like that has been the biggest struggle that I had the last couple of years, swinging at pitches that I have not been able to drive. This year I feel like I have done a better job of that, and I am going to continue to improve in that area,” added Jordan.