The Toronto Blue Jays have tied up their Oakland Athletics series with a 4-2 win on Tuesday night. Following the game, the Blue Jays made a Kazuma Okamoto announcement.
Jose Soriano pitched seven innings of two-run baseball, while Spencer Miles shut the door with three strikeouts and no hits in the final two innings.
The rubber match is set for Wednesday. Braydon Fisher will start a bullpen game for the Blue Jays. The game will start at 1:05 PM Mountain Time, 3:05 PM Eastern Time.
Toronto Blue Jays Make Big Kazuma Okamoto Announcement
Tuesday night was a big one for the Blue Jays, especially Okamoto.
During the win, Okamoto recorded another home run. This would be his 30th home run of the season. The team would make several posts on social media to celebrate the occasion.
“🇯🇵 Kazuma Okamoto is a top-tier Japanese player!” the team wrote hours after the game.
The post includes a caption on the image listing the players who have scored 30 or more home runs in a single season and are Japanese-born. Okamoto joins a list that includes Hideki Matsui, Seiya Suzuki, Munetaka Murakami, and Shohei Ohtani.
Additionally, Okamoto becomes the first Blue Jays rookie to hit 30 home runs in a season.
“The FIRST Blue Jays rookie with a 30-homer season 🔥,” the team also shared.
Okamoto finished the night with two hits, one run, one RBI, and the lone home run. Okamoto has recorded a home run in back-to-back games.
Looking at Kazuma Okamoto’s Rookie Season With the Toronto Blue Jays
Okamoto has had a rookie season to remember.
The Blue Jays rookie has been the top offensive bat in the lineup. The 30-year-old has recorded 120 hits, 23 doubles, one stolen base, 83 RBIs, and 30 home runs in 140 games.
Okamoto also has a .234 batting average and a .308 on-base percentage. He has split his time between third base and first base.
These are great numbers for a first-year player.
FanGraphs paints an equally valuable picture of Okamoto’s worth to the team. In overall WAR, Okamoto is tied for first with Andres Gimenez (2.6) and ranks second in Offensive WAR (4.9) behind only Brett Bateman.
The Blue Jays were optimistic when they signed Okamoto, but these performances have exceeded their wildest dreams.
Okamoto is a big reason Blue Jays fans have a positive outlook on the rest of Toronto’s regular-season MLB season. If the Blue Jays secure a playoff spot, Okamoto will be a huge reason why.
Toronto Blue Jays Make Big Kazuma Okamoto Announcement During Athletics Series