The Toronto Blue Jays made a major change to Kazuma Okamoto before their series finale against the Baltimore Orioles.
Toronto is coming off a 7-3 win on Saturday to even up the series after a 7-4 loss on Friday. The Blue Jays are 73-74 and 1 game back of the Cleveland Guardians for the final Wild Card spot.
First pitch on Sunday is set for 1:37 p.m. ET with Dylan Cease starting for Toronto.
Toronto Blue Jays Make Kazuma Okamoto Change
Although Toronto’s offense came to life on Saturday, the Blue Jays are making some major lineup changes on Sunday.
One of the biggest changes for Toronto is Kazuma Okamoto hitting fourth as he’ll be the Blue Jays’ cleanup hitter. He hit sixth on Saturday and now moves up to fourth.
Toronto’s lineup on Sunday is as follows:
- B. Bateman RF
- G. Springer DH
- V. Guerrero Jr. 1B
- K. Okamoto 3B
- C. McAdoo LF
- E. Clement 2B
- A. Giménez SS
- B. Valenzuela C
- M. Straw CF
Okamoto hitting fourth isn’t a huge surprise, especially with Alejandro Kirk out of the lineup. The Japanese slugger has been a major bright spot for Toronto this season.
Okamoto is hitting .235 with 31 home runs and 84 RBIs in his first year in the MLB. He’s hitting .400 with 3 home runs and 5 RBIs in his last 7 games.
The Blue Jays signed Okamoto to a four-year, $60 million deal this offseason.
Okamoto a Bright Spot for Toronto
The Blue Jays signed Okamoto this offseason as there were some question marks around him.
Yet, the slugger has fit in nicely as he’s hit 30+ home runs and set the Blue Jays home run record for a rookie.
“Definitely, it’s great to get to 30 in my first year, but we’ve still got a few games to go here,” Okamoto said through interpreter Yusuke Oshima. “I want to flip the switch and focus on the games moving forward.”
Schneider, meanwhile, had high praise for Okamoto amid his first year in the MLB.
“Kaz is swinging the bat well,” Schneider said. “Even the flyout to center on the breaking ball — he’s kind of riding through some breaking balls, too, and really kind of squaring up the fastball.”
The Blue Jays will begin a three-game home series against the Detroit Tigers on Monday.
Toronto Blue Jays Make Major Kazuma Okamoto Change Before Orioles Finale