Kazuma Okamoto and Josh Smith both hit impressive home runs, fueling the Toronto Blue Jays to a 4-2 victory against the Athletics. José Soriano delivered a stellar performance, pitching seven solid innings with only two runs allowed.
Currently, the Toronto Blue Jays (73-73) are in a tight race for the American League wild-card spot, trailing the Cleveland Guardians (74-72) by just one game. The Guardians secured a 9-5 win against the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the day, maintaining their slight lead.
The Texas Rangers are also in the mix, sitting half a game behind the Blue Jays after their 10-5 triumph over the Mariners in Seattle on Tuesday.
Josh Smith, who joined the Blue Jays after a trade from the Texas Rangers, set the tone with a powerful 360-foot home run in the second inning, giving Toronto an early 1-0 lead. In his 20 games with the team, Smith has already hit five home runs.
Following Smith’s lead, Kazuma Okamoto added to the excitement by hitting his 30th home run of the season, marking a significant milestone for the Japanese rookie. He now stands alongside Chicago White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami as the only Japanese-born players to achieve this feat in their rookie year.
This historical moment also signifies the first time in Major League Baseball history that three rookies have each hit 30 or more home runs in a single season, with Cincinnati’s Sal Stewart being the third player to accomplish this.
The Blue Jays continued to build their lead with an RBI single from Alejandro Kirk and another run courtesy of a one-run double play grounded by Josh Smith.
José Soriano, who was acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Angels, showcased his pitching prowess by striking out three batters and allowing just six hits over seven innings. Spencer Miles closed out the game with two hitless innings to secure his second save of the season.
The Athletics fought back with home runs from Carlos Cortes and Donovan Walton, but starting pitcher Jack Perkins (3-11) struggled against the Blue Jays’ offensive firepower, conceding all four runs on seven hits.
In the upcoming series finale, the Athletics will send Brady Basso (1-2, 4.32 ERA) to the mound, while the Blue Jays have yet to announce their starting pitcher for Wednesday’s matchup.
