The Toronto Blue Jays are in a playoff chase, and Kazuma Okamoto made franchise history on Tuesday.
In the Blue Jays’ series opener against the Rays on Tuesday, Okamoto hit his 25th home run of the season. With the home run, Okamoto set the Blue Jays’ franchise record for most home runs by a rookie.
“Kazuma Okamoto sets the Blue Jays rookie home run record with No. 25!,” the post read.
Okamoto is technically a rookie in the MLB, despite being 30-years-old and having been a professional in Japan since 2014. Okamoto had plenty of success in Japan, which led to the Blue Jays signing him to a four-year, $60 million contract.
After the deal, there were plenty of concerns about Okamoto and how his bat would translate to MLB, but it has gone well.
This season, Okamoto is hitting .228 with 25 home runs and 72 RBIs, as he’s leading the Blue Jays in home runs and RBIs.
Blue Jays Expected Offense From Okamoto
After signing Okamoto to a four-year deal, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins felt like he could make an impact at the plate.
Okamoto was a slugger in Japan, but there were question marks around him. Yet, Atkins felt confident he would have success in the big leagues.
“He’s had an incredible career thus far with his impact on both sides of the ball,” said Atkins at Okamoto’s introductory press conference. “The offensive ability is as dynamic as it comes and fits us very well.
“The contact ability against high velo and against all types of pitching — really any type of pitching — he’s been able to drive the ball, which is about as good a compliment as we could ask for. We’re set up so that he could impact our organization from a defensive standpoint in several ways and we’ll continue to have that dialogue, but his openness to putting the team first is extremely attractive.”
Okamoto has likely exceeded expectations, and he’s now set Toronto’s franchise record in home runs for a rookie.
Toronto in Playoff Push
The Blue Jays have gotten back into playoff contention, despite it looking like a lost season.
Ahead of the Blue Jays series against the Rays, Toronto was 0.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. And they were coming off an impressive stretch, which manager John Schneider believes they can build on.
“That’s a tough 17-game grind [in 17 days] for everyone. To come out 11-6 is really impressive, with the travel and the teams we’re facing,” Schneider said. “I always say you want to keep stacking series wins. Today’s a tough one because there were some chances to finish off a sweep, which is hard against any team. We just need to continue to play as hard as we’re playing.”
Toronto is 61-65 and is 7-3 in its last 10 games.
Kazuma Okamoto Made Blue Jays History During Rays Series Opener