Glance Gunnar, Yoshida FREE on MLB.TV

It’ll be a war of immense-title MLB newbies when Gunnar Henderson and the Orioles take on Masataka Yoshida and the Red Sox on Thursday, and chances are high you’ll per chance per chance also stream this highly anticipated matchup free of price on MLB.TV.

While these delight in been the utterly two AL East groups to miss the playoffs final season, their 2022 performances starkly contrasted one one more relative to each and each team’s expectations. Baltimore’s 83-Seventy 9 deliver used to be three video games shy of a playoff berth, nevertheless that quiet represented its first winning season because the O’s went 89-73 in 2016. The Orioles received a staggering 31 extra video games than they did in 2021, the greatest year-to-year jump by any team within the Twenty first century (excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season).

Henderson, ranked because the No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline, made a splash after being called as a lot as the immense leagues dull final season. Despite the truth that plate discipline used to be considerably of a field (34 strikeouts in 132 plate appearances), he carried out with a loyal .788 OPS in 34 video games, along with a stellar .316/.500/.579 line in seven video games in opposition to Boston. MLB.com’s Sam Dykstra remarked that he did a more in-depth job hitting the ground working on the pinnacle diploma than Julio Rodríguez, Bobby Witt Jr. and even Rutschman himself. The 21-year-faded is an overwhelming authorized to come by AL Rookie of the 365 days, and if he does, Baltimore might well per chance have the opportunity to salvage as a lot as the reigning playoff groups in its division.

In consequence, whereas Baltimore used to be vow material to mainly inch with the sphere quo after a more in-depth-than-anticipated 2022 season, Boston did anything else nevertheless. The exodus of expertise from the Red Sox’s 2018 World Series-winning core persisted, with Xander Bogaerts (Padres), J.D. Martinez (Dodgers) and Nathan Eovaldi (Rangers) among the many immense names to leave this offseason.

As for who arrived? The checklist contains Adalberto Mondesi, Justin Turner, Adam Duvall, Kenley Jansen and Opening Day starter Corey Kluber — nevertheless the finest wild card of all might well per chance be Yoshida, arriving from Japan’s Nippon Expert Baseball to produce his MLB debut at age 29.

Boston made headlines by signing Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million contract after he batted .327/.421/.539 in his seven NPB seasons. It used to be the greatest contract ever awarded to a salvage participant coming from Japan to the U.S.

Nonetheless Boston’s aim is to come by again quickly, and Yoshida has carried out nothing nevertheless come by precise via the final year.

In 2022, Yoshida led the Orix Buffaloes to their first Japan Series title in 26 years. Nonetheless most American followers bought their introduction to him one day of the World Baseball Classic, when he used to be the utterly Eastern participant no longer named Ohtani to produce the All-Tournament team. Yoshida carried out with a WBC-deliver 13 RBIs, helping Japan radically change the principle three-time WBC champion. That integrated a sport-tying three-inch shot within the seventh inning in opposition to Mexico, part of a semifinal come by that stands as MLB.com’s finest sport in WBC historical previous.

Yoshida is anticipated to bat within the center of the converse, and if he might even be as worthwhile as Red Sox brass is waiting for, Boston might well per chance no longer be spending very worthy time within the AL East cellar.