Masataka Yoshida hit his eighth home run in a stellar 3-for-5 outing Tuesday to help the Boston Red Sox outgun the Minnesota Twins 10-4 and extend their winning streak to six games.
The Japanese outfielder drove in three runs and scored three at Target Field, while Red Sox second baseman Christian Arroyo had five hits and four RBIs after being penciled into the lineup late.
Yoshida made it 5-0 with his RBI infield single in the seventh, then launched a two-run home run the following inning for a 10-0 lead.
The former Orix Buffaloes star sent his first pitch from right-hander Oliver Ortega 447 feet (136 meters) to the second deck behind right center field.
"I managed to do it properly on the first pitch," Yoshida said. "If I line it strongly to left or right of center, it means I got a good swing on it. This was close to my best."
In other MLB action, Yusei Kikuchi threw six shutout innings of two-hit ball, striking out six, but did not factor in the Toronto Blue Jays' 2-0 win over the Miami Marlins.
