Two-way star Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 in six scoreless innings and left with a one-run lead, but his Los Angeles Angels lost to the Oakland Athletics 2-1 on Thursday's MLB Opening Day.

Japanese compatriot Masataka Yoshida, meanwhile, went 2-for-4 with an RBI in his major league debut in the Boston Red Sox's 10-9 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

Ohtani allowed just two hits while walking three in a 93-pitch outing at Oakland Coliseum.

Los Angeles Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani pitches in the team's season-opening game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California, on March 30, 2023. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The World Baseball Classic MVP faced runners on second and third with one out in the fourth inning, but escaped the jam by striking out two straight batters.

"I walked the first batter I faced, but I managed to find my rhythm on the mound," Ohtani said. "We wanted to score an additional run. We didn't get a hit when we needed it."

The Athletics turned the game around in the eighth, with Tony Kemp's double and Aledmys Diaz's single driving in one run each.

Los Angeles Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani (C) reacts in the dugout to the Oakland Athletics' eighth-inning rally in their season-opening baseball game on March 30, 2023, at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Kyodo)

At the plate, Ohtani singled in the fourth and finished 1-for-3 with an intentional walk and two strikeouts.

Yoshida's first hit, a single up the middle in the sixth inning off left-handed reliever Keegan Akin, scored Rafael Devers from second base to cut the Orioles' lead to 8-3 at Fenway Park in Boston.

Masataka Yoshida hits a single in the sixth inning of the Boston Red Sox's season-opening game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 30, 2023. It was his Major League Baseball debut. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Yoshida, batting cleanup and playing left field, added a single to right in the eighth.

"I'm relieved rather than happy," the 29-year-old said of his first two career hits. "I was deeply touched when I heard the U.S. national anthem. I'm not satisfied by just being on this stage, but I have to thank many people."

Yoshida, a two-time batting champion with the Orix Buffaloes in the Pacific League, signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Red Sox, the highest ever for a Japanese position player when making the move from Japan to the United States.

Adley Rutschman went 5-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs for the Orioles.

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