BOSTON -- With one big swing on Friday night at Fenway Park, Kazuma Okamoto broke Shohei Ohtani’s rookie record for the most home runs by a Japanese-born player, with 23.
The Statcast-projected 408-foot shot to straightaway center finally got the Blue Jays on the board in the seventh inning in an eventual 6-4 loss to the Red Sox. In a quiet season for the lowest-scoring offense in Major League Baseball, Okamoto has been one of the lone bright spots.
“That’s pretty cool that he sets the Japanese rookie record for homers in a season. That’s a great accomplishment for him, and I told him that,” manager John Schneider said. “He’s so talented.”
Any day your name lands in the same sentence as Ohtani’s is a good one, and even though Okamoto has downplayed any milestone, his respect for his fellow Japanese star is clear. The two have also played together in the World Baseball Classic, representing their country.
“It’s just a number,” Okamoto said through interpreter Yusuke Oshima when he tied the record just prior to the All-Star break. “As you all know, Shohei is an awesome player. He’s a unicorn. To be able to match that record is obviously awesome. I want to do my best so that I can get closer to his level.”
That hadn’t changed by Friday night, either. As we all get to know Okamoto -- from fans to media and teammates -- it’s immediately clear that he’s a team-first player. He’ll deflect the conversation back to his teammates and the team’s success any time he can. Anything to take the attention off himself and his own accomplishments, no matter how impressive they are.
“There’s nothing in particular [I care about] on the personal side,” Okamoto said. “Just getting the ‘W.’ That’s the only category I’m looking at.”
Okamoto doesn’t hit cheap ones, either. There are no wall-scrapers and no batted-ball luck in this new Japanese rookie record, and while Okamoto has certainly struggled with strikeouts at times, his power has been undeniable. The Blue Jays’ offense has been searching for answers anywhere and everywhere, but power has been one of this group’s biggest shortcomings, making Okamoto’s presence all the more important.
In a lineup still searching for its identity, and still searching for a pulse as they fade in the AL Wild Card race, there are parts of Okamoto’s offensive game that Schneider would love to see spread to the rest of the lineup.
Besides, Okamoto is running away with the team lead in home runs, his 23 more than double his next-closest teammate (George Springer, 10). It’s the same story when it comes to RBIs, too, with Okamoto’s 65 towering above his teammates (Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is second with 42).
“When he’s good, he swings with intent and hunts certain areas,” Schneider said. “He’s unique because he has power to all fields. Today to dead center is an example of that. He’s not being afraid to let it rip and let it go, and be ready for certain pitches in certain areas. He’s done a really good job of that this year.”
Still in the first year of his four-year, $60 million deal, Okamoto was one of the Blue Jays’ best moves this past offseason and has handled the move to Major League Baseball admirably. The record is all his for now, but this race isn’t over.
Munetaka Murakami of the White Sox has hit 20 in fewer games after spending some time on the IL, and he has remarkable power to match Okamoto’s if this turns into a race down the stretch.