Overview
- Okamoto hit a three-run, 22nd home run off Jhony Brito in the fifth inning that gave Toronto the lead and helped the Blue Jays to a 5-3 win, a play reported Friday night.
- The 22 homers match Shohei Ohtani’s 2018 total for the most by a Japanese-born player in a major-league rookie season.
- Okamoto, 30, leads Toronto in home runs and RBIs with 62 and has become the team’s main offensive producer during an otherwise uneven season.
- Munetaka Murakami, who recently returned from the injured list and has 20 homers, represents the closest challenger and creates a short window for either player to claim the record before the All-Star break.
- Okamoto’s pace gives him a realistic chance to break the record before the break and could shape the Blue Jays’ playoff push by providing rare, consistent middle-of-season power.