SAN DIEGO -- All of a sudden, it feels like the Blue Jays have found themselves on the West Coast.
Friday’s 5-3 win over the Padres was their third in a row, and with a weekend left to build some momentum going into the All-Star break, the Blue Jays can position themselves for a crowded Wild Card race down the stretch.
This is what mattered most from the win:
1. Okamoto ties Ohtani’s rookie record
With his 22nd home run of the season, Kazuma Okamoto tied Shohei Ohtani’s record for Japanese-born players in their rookie season, which he set in 2018. Okamoto has nearly seven years on Ohtani when you compare their rookie seasons -- Ohtani hitting his at 23 and Okamoto at 30 -- but this is a remarkable moment for the newest Blue Jays star.
“I don’t read too much into those numbers,” Okamoto said through interpreter Yusuke Oshima. “I just want to do my part, take it game by game and give my all for this team.”
By the time he’s finished, Okamoto could easily blow past 30 and take a run at 35 homers. He’ll need to hold off Munetaka Murakami of the White Sox, though, who was activated from the IL on Friday after being out of action since May 29. He launched 20 home runs over his first 57 games. Good luck holding Murakami off if he picks up that pace again, but that does nothing to diminish what Okamoto has accomplished here.
This is such a credit to the Blue Jays’ front office, too. Okamoto’s four-year, $60 million contract was a risk at the time, even with his long track record of success with the Yomiuri Giants. It already looks like some of the best value on this roster, though, and full credit is owed to the Blue Jays’ expanded scouting presence in Asia, which has been consciously grown in recent years and is paying off handsomely right now.
2. Bieber? Better.
The first inning probably spooked you, and it should have. Shane Bieber needed 30 pitches, walked a pair of batters and allowed yet another home run, already his seventh in just four starts back from the IL. That’s still a major concern, but from that point on, Bieber slowly settled in.
With 4 2/3 innings of two-run ball and all of his velocities sitting in a good spot, this is enough to call an encouraging step. The Blue Jays need to see more steps in the right direction following this one, but it’s certainly a rebound from allowing seven runs over four innings last week in Seattle.
“All I can say is that tonight was a step in the right direction,” Bieber said. “I’m happy with the team win. That’s what’s most important. It’s safe to say my last three starts were not good enough, not up to my standards or the Blue Jays' standards. Tonight was a little bit better. Hopefully, I can continue that forward momentum.”
Bieber’s next few starts are crucial to the direction of this team, especially with the Trade Deadline looming on Aug. 3. The No. 5 spot in this rotation is already too much of a question mark with Max Scherzer attempting yet another comeback, but some combination of Spencer Miles, bullpen games and (more likely) the Trade Deadline can fix that problem. Fixing two problems, though? That would get difficult.
3. The most important swing of the night
Alejandro Kirk’s double in the fourth inning won’t lead the highlight reels, but that was a great sign from the Blue Jays’ catcher who has struggled offensively since returning from a fractured thumb.
This is the exact type of swing -- and exact type of ball flight -- you want to see from someone returning from that specific injury. So often, players returning from hand fractures struggle to recapture their power, but this RBI double was a glimpse of Kirk at his best, when he’s able to shoot line drives all over the field with enough juice behind them to be dangerous.
There’s still a long way to go, of course. Kirk is still batting just .188 over 24 games, but keep an eye on the type of contact he’s making over the next month. He doesn’t need to be putting up Aaron Judge’s exit velocities, but ground balls and looping liners won’t get you very far when you run like Kirk. Swings like Friday’s double represent the path back to Kirk being an offensive force in the middle of this lineup.