Masa-Magic: Yoshida’s knock gives Red Sox 1-0 walk-off win over Tigers

Alex Cora called on Yoshida to pinch hit in extra innings, and he delivered.

Masataka Yoshida walked off the Tigers in extra innings Saturday. (Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

After nine full innings of scoreless baseball, the Red Sox finally got a scoring chance in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Jarren Duran started the frame on second, and the moment he saw an opening, he stole third base to threaten Detroit with zero outs. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out, Marcelo Mayer walked, and Caleb Durbin was due at bat in a big spot.

But Alex Cora instead called on Masataka Yoshida to pinch hit. The outfielder and designated hitter has been one of Boston’s hottest bats of 2026, but still isn’t an everyday starter. His only at-bat on Friday was a memorable one.

With the infield in and Detroit doing everything in its power to force a grounder, Yoshida sent a ball into the dirt with so much force that it bounced over the entire infield. That was all Duran needed to cross home plate standing and give the Red Sox a 1-0 win.

Yoshida is batting .310 on the year with a .474 on-base percentage. He also has five RBIs on the year so far, and his biggest one came on Friday. He doesn’t need to be in the lineup every day to keep his rhythm offensively.

As for the Red Sox as a whole, they’re still struggling to find an identity offensively. But a win is a win, and Boston started its homestand off right before welcoming Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal to the mound on Saturday at Fenway Park.

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