Masataka Yoshida launched his second major league grand slam in a six-RBI outing Sunday as he led the Boston Red Sox to an 11-5 win over the Chicago Cubs in the finale of their three-game series.
His World Baseball Classic-winning Samurai Japan teammate Shohei Ohtani, meanwhile, hit his MLB-leading 34th home run for the Los Angeles Angels in their 9-8 loss to the Houston Astros.
A day after his 30th birthday, when he saw his multi-hit streak end at eight games, Yoshida went 3-for-5 and scored two runs to help the Red Sox win the series at Wrigley Field.
He gave Boston a 6-0 lead with his bases-loaded blast with two out in the top of the fifth off a 2-0 fastball from Cubs All-Star ace Justin Steele (9-3).
The left-handed hitter followed with a two-run triple on a line drive to center field that made it 8-0 in the top of the seventh.
Yoshida, whose .317 batting average was second-best in the American League as of Sunday, said he had closely analyzed Steele's delivery before belting the grand slam deep to right.
"I was checking the pitch trajectory for my two previous at-bats and started this at-bat with that image in mind," the former Orix Buffaloes star said. "His first strike was a fat pitch and I was able to kill it on my first swing."
For the Cubs, Seiya Suzuki went 0-for-3 with a walk.
At Angel Stadium, Ohtani homered for the second game in a row as he sparked a ninth-inning rally with a solo shot to center field off his first pitch from right-hander Phil Maton.
With two out and the go-ahead run on base, Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker made a diving catch to deny the Halos a walk-off victory.
At Toronto's Rogers Centre, Yusei Kikuchi did not factor in the Blue Jays' 7-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks after throwing 4-2/3 innings of two-run, two-hit ball in which he struck out four and issued three walks.
