It hasn’t taken long for Kazuma Okamoto to make a big impact for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Okamoto set a franchise record for most home runs by a rookie when he belted his 25th of the season in the fifth inning off Tampa Bay Rays reliever Steven Matz on Tuesday night.
The solo shot to left-centre, which gave the Blue Jays a 7-3 lead, allowed Okamoto to overtake Eric Hinske’s team record of 24, set in 2002. Hinske was named AL rookie of the year that season.
Okamoto, 30, was signed by the Blue Jays last off-season after playing for Japan’s Yomiuri Giants from 2015-25.
Okamoto already has broken Shohei Ohtani’s record (18 in 2018) for most home runs by a Japanese-born rookie in MLB history, but he’s in a battle with Chicago White Sox star Munetaka Murakami to see who will have the mark after this year.
Murakami entered Tuesday night’s action with 28 on the season.
The all-time rookie mark belongs to Pete Alonso, who hit 53 homers in 2019.
