Seiya Suzuki made an immediate impact in his return from the injured list Friday, belting a solo home run to help the Chicago Cubs coast to an 8-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 28-year-old, who missed March's World Baseball Classic due to a left oblique injury, was activated from the 10-day IL by the Cubs earlier in the day following a four-game rehab stint with Triple-A Iowa.
Starting in right field and batting cleanup in his 2023 debut, Suzuki gave the Cubs a 5-2 lead with his towering shot in the top of the eighth at Dodger Stadium.
He locked in on a 1-0 four-seam fastball from reliever Andre Jackson and launched it 406 feet (124 meters) over left center field. Suzuki finished the game 1-for-5, striking out once.
Yan Gomes had a pair of homers, while Ian Happ and Patrick Wisdom also went long for the Cubs, who got seven innings of two-run, three-hit ball from starter Justin Steele (2-0).
At Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida remained sidelined by a tight right hamstring for his team's 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels, delaying his first MLB game against Samurai Japan teammate Shohei Ohtani.
Batting third as the Angels' designated hitter, Ohtani hit a fifth-inning single in a 1-for-4 outing with a run scored and a walk.
New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga fanned seven, while allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks over 4-2/3 innings in a 17-6 pummeling of the Oakland Athletics.
Senga, who won his first two MLB starts, was pulled one out short of the five innings needed to earn the win as a starting pitcher.
