Kazuma Okamoto of the Toronto Blue Jays has matched Shohei Ohtani’s record for the most home runs by a Japanese-born rookie in a single Major League Baseball season. Okamoto achieved this milestone by hitting his 22nd home run during the Blue Jays’ 5-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
The tie-breaking, three-run shot came in the fifth inning off reliever Jhony Brito. Okamoto’s home run, hit 377 feet to left-centre at 107.6 mph, was a significant moment in the game. Ohtani set the original record of 22 home runs in 2018 while playing for the Los Angeles Angels.
Okamoto expressed his admiration for Ohtani, stating through translator Yusuke Oshima that Ohtani is an “awesome player” and a “unicorn.” He added that while matching the record is “awesome,” his goal is to continue performing his best to reach Ohtani’s level. Ohtani, now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, recently hit his 300th career home run, becoming the first Japanese-born player in the majors to reach that mark.
Okamoto’s Impact and Blue Jays Performance
Blue Jays manager John Schneider praised Okamoto’s power and ability to adjust during games. Schneider noted that Okamoto’s consistent performance and his achievement of tying the Japanese rookie record place him in “pretty elite territory” alongside Ohtani. Okamoto, who is 30, had previously hit his first grand slam earlier in the week against San Francisco.
Okamoto’s 22 home runs before the All-Star break represent the most by a Blue Jays player since Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 28 and Marcus Semien’s 22 in 2021. This also marks the most home runs by a Toronto rookie in the franchise’s history. The Blue Jays’ win against the Padres ended their three-game losing streak, while the Padres experienced their 11th loss in 14 games.
The game saw Mason Fluharty earn the win, his fourth of the season, and Louis Varland secured his 19th save. Varland allowed a run on three hits in the ninth inning. The Blue Jays’ offence in the fifth inning began with Myles Straw’s bunt single, followed by a single from Ernie Clement and an RBI single from Vladimir Guerrero before Okamoto’s home run. JP Sears was the starting pitcher for the Padres.
Game Details and Upcoming Matchup
Shane Bieber, making his fourth start of the season after returning from forearm fatigue on June 23, allowed two runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings. He gave up a two-run shot to Xander Bogaerts in the first inning, which broke Bogaerts’ 128 plate appearance homerless streak. Despite a challenging start, Bieber improved after the first inning, finishing with six hits, three walks, four strikeouts, and two earned runs.
Other notable performances included Chad Dallas, Jeff Hoffman, and Tyler Rogers, who each pitched a scoreless inning. Louis Varland faced a tense situation in the ninth, giving up three consecutive singles before securing the save by getting Xander Bogaerts to ground out to third. Okamoto also contributed defensively throughout the game.
The Blue Jays had nine hits and three walks in total. Clement and Straw each contributed two hits. The next game for the Blue Jays is scheduled for Saturday night, with Trey Yesavage (4-4, 3.31 ERA) slated to start for Toronto against Walker Buehler (5-5, 5.07) for the Padres.
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Source: tsn.ca
As CasinoNews's Sports News Writer, Mason Leclair reports on the CFL, golf and combat sports for readers across the country. He moved from regional papers into digital sport. He holds a degree in Journalism from Carleton University. Mason lives in Ottawa, where he follows the PGA Tour and mixed martial arts. “Get the facts down first, then add the context.”
