Masataka Yoshida extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a home run Thursday as the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 11-5 and swept their four-game series.
The first-year MLB player's red-hot hitting coincides with a strong run of results by Boston, which has won a season-high six straight heading into its road series with the Philadelphia Phillies from Friday.
Yoshida, who has the longest active hitting streak in the majors, began his 3-for-5, three-RBI outing by putting Boston on the board with a solo blast in the bottom of the first at Fenway Park. He also added RBI singles in the second and fourth, and scored three runs.
The former Orix Buffaloes star launched his sixth home run 122 meters to center field on the first pitch he saw, a 147-kilometer-per-hour four-seam fastball from Toronto starter Kevin Gausman (2-3).
"I was happy to get hold of that first ball," Yoshida said. "The Blue Jays are in our division, so this four-game sweep was huge. I want to help continue the win streak."
Rafael Devers went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a home run, while Red Sox starter Brayan Bello (1-1) picked up his first win.
At Busch Stadium, Shohei Ohtani got a hit for the seventh straight game, going 1-for-3 with two walks and a run in the Los Angeles Angels' 11-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
