If you hit it well, ‘Strikeout with a swing’ is news… Yoshida breaks 16G hitting streak

If you hit well, even striking out becomes news. This is the story of Masataka Yoshida (Boston), who made his major league debut this year.

On the 10th (Korean time), in the game against the Atlanta Braves in the ‘2023 Major League’ held at True Park in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Yoshida came out as the second hitter in left field and was silent with no hits in 5 at bats. He did not go on base for the first time since the match against Minnesota on the 19th of last month (no hit in 5 at-bats).

After taking a day off on the 20th, Yoshida started his streak of hitting streak by going 2-for-5 against Minnesota on the 21st of last month. His hitting streak continued for 16 games with a multi-hit against Philadelphia on the 8th. However, in the game against Atlanta on the 10th, he was hitless in 5 at-bats. He also struck out.

This strikeout became a hot topic. In his first six games of May, he went 12-for-25 with two home runs, never striking out. All of his first 34 swings from May 1, US date, hit the ball. It was an amazing contact ability that no swing was news.

After the game on the 10th, Japan’s Nikkan Sports said, “The record for consecutive hits stopped at 16 games. Even for Yoshida, who was showing good performance, Charlie Morton, a veteran of 119 wins in the major leagues, was a strong adversary. He struggled with one pitch,” he reported.

It wasn’t just a strikeout, it was three consecutive swing strikeouts. Morton threw four straight curveballs in this at-bat. Yoshida singled out only the first pitch that deviated outward and hit the other three pitches in succession. It all went wrong. 스포츠토토

MLB.com reported that Yoshida seemed to be a completely different hitter as of the 21st of last month, when his hitting streak began. During this 16-game span, he recorded 28 hits and 48 bases, the most in the major leagues.

“I think I’ve improved because I’ve been able to choose the ball I need to swing,” Yoshida said. He also explained, “I focus on my stance. I get a position where I can see the ball comfortably. My swing has not changed at all.”