Yoshinobu Yamamoto crowns Mastaka Yoshida with new title at Dodgers-Red Sox practice ft. Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are currently in Boston for their series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Los Angeles Dodgers' Japanese duo were seen practicing alongside a familiar countryman, Masataka Yoshida.

After being posted from the NPB ahead of the 2023 season, the Red Sox had signed Masataka Yoshida to a five-year $90 million contract. He missed most of the first half of the season due to injury, only returning to the lineup on the 9th of July.

On Friday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto posted a picture of the trio at Fenway Park ahead of their series opener. He captioned it with a Japanese phrase, 'Masanao,' which in the context translates to 'Supreme Commander'.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Instagram Story (Source: Instagram @yoshinobu_yamamoto)

Yamamoto used it to describe Yoshida, who could be seen directing the plays in practice. But there was also some light-hearted fun involved with the Dodgers starter attaching emojis of a rat to describe the Red Sox DH.

When he arrived in Boston, Yoshida's manager, Alex Cora, had called him a baseball rat, alluding to the intense hard work and street-smartness attached to his game.

“He’s a baseball rat, he is,” Cora had said. “He knows the game. He knows the players. It’s good baseball conversations with him, which I love. He knows a lot. He knows the pitchers. As far as homework, he understands what he needs to do to prepare for this.”

Yoshida and Yamamoto were teammates at the Orix Buffaloes from 2017 to 2022 before the former got posted. Yamamoto followed suit the following season, joining the Dodgers alongside Ohtani. The trio was also part of Team Japan at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes feelings known about wanting to be like Clayton Kershaw

While he called Yoshida the main man during practice, for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw remains the leading figure in the pitching rotation. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times earlier this week, the 26-year-old spoke about how he looked up to the veteran.

“In him, you have a player on the team whom you can model yourself after,” Yamamoto said. “I also learn a lot watching him pitch. He’s someone you can admire in every aspect. All of my teammates think of him like that too. That’s the kind of player I would like to be.”

Yamamoto and Kershaw have been manning the Dodgers' rotation in the absence of other big names. Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani have made it back from their injuries, while Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki are looking to head back to the rotation, currently in their rehab stints.