PHOTO: $1,025,000,000 Japanese duo Shohei Ohtani & Yoshinobu Yamamoto pose with OF Masataka Yoshida ahead of Dodgers vs. Red Sox clash
The Japanese duo of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto met with outfielder Masataka Yoshida on Friday ahead of the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox. Yoshida, who is with the Red Sox, posed with his fellow countrymen on a road trip at Dodger Stadium.
The trio posed for cameras as Ohtani uploaded a rare frame on social media. The trio was part of Team Japan, which won the 2023 World Baseball Classic in the U.S.
Among the three, Ohtani has been in the league since 2018, after he made his debut with the LA Angels. He stayed there until 2023, after which he inked a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in the offseason.
Following his signing, the next best-sought-after free agent was Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed a 12-year, $325 million deal with the franchise. Both Dodgers stars' combined contract value comes to $1.025 billion.
As for Masataka Yoshida, the 31-year-old outfielder signed with the Red Sox ahead of the 2023 season on a five-year, $90 million contract.
Masataka Yoshida shows respect for Shohei Ohtani's greatness and his dual abilities
Ever since Shohei Ohtani made his MLB debut, the influx of stars from Japan has considerably increased, and one reason would be Ohtani's greatness, which has led many teams to consider signing Japanese prospects each year.
In December, in an interview with Chris Henderson from Fanatics Views, Masataka Yoshida spoke about Ohtani's two-way talents and feeling honored to be part of the same league.
"I really respect him and then you know what he has done is a really historical thing so you know he's the first player to accomplish a good result (in both pitching and hitting). So yeah, I'm just really honored to play with him as a Japanese player," Yoshida said via translator.
The Red Sox slugger was also asked about his Mt. Rushmore for Japanese players, which Masataka Yoshida avoided, saying there are too many legendary players to pick from.
On Friday, Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers took down the Red Sox 4-1, courtesy of Freddie Freeman's grand slam in the eighth inning. The two teams meet again on Saturday to play Game 2 of the ongoing series.