Watch Gunnar, Yoshida FREE on MLB.TV

It’ll be a battle of big-name MLB rookies when Gunnar Henderson and the Orioles tackle Masataka Yoshida and the Red Sox on Thursday, and you’ll stream this extremely anticipated matchup free of charge on MLB.TV.

While these have been the one two AL East groups to overlook the playoffs final season, their 2022 performances starkly contrasted each other relative to every workforce’s expectations. Baltimore’s 83-79 file was three video games shy of a playoff berth, however that also represented its first successful 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 largest year-to-year leap by any workforce within the twenty first century (excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season).

Consequently, whereas Baltimore was content material to primarily run with the established order after a better-than-expected 2022 season, Boston did something however. The exodus of expertise from the Red Sox’s 2018 World Series-winning core continued, with Xander Bogaerts (Padres), J.D. Martinez (Dodgers) and Nathan Eovaldi (Rangers) among the many massive names to depart this offseason.

But Boston’s objective is to win once more quickly, and Yoshida has accomplished nothing however win over the previous yr.

In 2022, Yoshida led the Orix Buffaloes to their first Japan Series title in 26 years. But most American followers bought their introduction to him through the World Baseball Classic, when he was the one Japanese participant not named Ohtani to make the All-Tournament workforce. Yoshida completed with a WBC-record 13 RBIs, serving to Japan turn into the primary three-time WBC champion. That included a game-tying three-run shot within the seventh inning towards Mexico, a part of a semifinal win that stands as MLB.com’s best sport in WBC historical past.