TORONTO -- Kazuma Okamoto has gone country; look at them boots.
When the Japanese third baseman walked to the plate this homestand, his usual walk-up song -- “Kibo no Wadachi” by Southern All Stars -- had a new partner every other plate appearance. In his second and fourth at-bats of the game, it was “Choosin’ Texas” by country music star Ella Langley, a new twist for Okamoto.
If you’ve been in a ballpark this season, you’ve heard the song 20 times already. It spent 10 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 this year and has ruled the country charts for 27 weeks.
She’s from Texas I can tell by the way
He’s two-steppin' round the room
And judgin’ by the smile that’s written on his face
There’s nothin’ I can do
Asked about the new song after the Blue Jays’ 6-4 win on Saturday, Okamoto broke into a big smile and looked down the row of lockers that line the left wall of Toronto's clubhouse.
“You can ask Myles about it,” Okamoto said through interpreter Yusuke Oshima.
All roads tend to lead back to Myles Straw in this clubhouse.
He’s the glue guy, beloved by teammates from all backgrounds and always right in the middle of it all. First, Straw would like to make it clear that the results speak for themselves. Okamoto has multiple hits in each of his last three games, the best he’s looked at the plate in over a month.
“He’s been raking with it,” Straw said.
Most of the Blue Jays’ roster was on their way to a Luke Combs concert Saturday night, so the clubhouse had a few more cowboy boots and belt buckles than it normally would after the win.
“I just brought it up because I’m a big fan of the song and I thought the fans would enjoy the song,” Straw said. “He said he actually likes it. We’re going to give it a shot here. So far, he’s probably hitting .600 with it, so …”
Sound logic. Straw, like the rest of his Blue Jays teammates, has come to love Okamoto over the past two-plus months. The media and fans see glimpses of Okamoto’s personality, and it’s coming out more with each passing week as he grows more comfortable in the big leagues. But the Blue Jays’ players and coaches keep telling us that there’s so much more of it behind closed doors.
“I love to talk with him and interact with him. He’s funny,” Straw said. “With Yusuke and Gosuke [Katoh], it’s fun to joke around with him a little bit. He’s got a great personality. Look at him.”
Back up that same row of lockers, Okamoto had been watching Straw the whole time, peeking around his own locker with that big grin still on his face. When Okamoto first arrived at Spring Training in those early days with the Blue Jays, he joked that he’d describe himself as “very serious… and very manly.” Now, he’s a country boy, too.