The Boston Red Sox opened up a three-game weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night at Fenway Park.
The Cardinals pulled off a stunning comeback win over the Sox to take the opener by a final of 8-6.
However, before the game, slugger Masataka Yoshida had a chance to exchange pleasantries with Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar.
Back in March, the two were teammates on the Japanese National Team that ultimately won the World Baseball Classic.
The two met before the game and shared a moment with one another.
On Twitter, the Red Sox posted a picture of the two WBC teammates reuniting with one another two months after the conclusion of the tournament.
World Baseball Classic champions reunited! 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/yykfmLpT3s
—Red Sox (@RedSox) May 12, 2023
Ultimately, Nootbaar had the better night as the Cardinals rallied from a late deficit to take the opener.
But Yoshida still got a chance to meet with a friend before the game.
Japan defeated Team USA in the WBC championship game on March 21.
Yoshida and Nootbaar both were instrumental in Japan’s run to the title and helped spark some rallies.
This was the first time that Yoshida and Nootbaar had a chance to reunite and share a moment to celebrate Japan’s WBC title.
True to form, the new Red Sox star picked up two hits in the series opener.
Yoshida is off to a hot start with the Red Sox, having posted a .306 batting average over the team’s first 39 games of the season.
The 29-year-old has also hit six home runs and posted an OPS of .895.
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