Kazuma Okamoto snapped a post-all-star break skid in a big way on Friday night at Fenway Park.
Entering the game on an 0-for-22 streak, Okamoto cracked a pair of extra-base hits for the Toronto Blue Jays, including a three-run shot in the seventh inning for his 23rd home run of the season.
The blast helped Okamoto break Shohei Ohtani's record for most homers by a Japanese-born rookie in a single season.
Okamoto's latest roundtripper not only helped him take sole possession of the record, but it also pushed the Blue Jays back into Friday's game after a quiet offensive performance up to that point.
Ohtani's 22 blasts came in 2018, as the eventual AL Rookie of the Year made the transition to the majors with the Los Angeles Angels after spending five years with Nippon Professional Baseball's Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Okamoto's transition to the Blue Jays comes after 11 years with the Yomiuri Giants, where he consistently ranked among the league's leaders in home runs.
Now 23 dingers in with Toronto, Okamoto will look to continue putting his name in rarified air as the season continues.
The 30-year-old third baseman is now just one homer away from tying the Blue Jays' rookie record, which currently belongs to Eric Hinske, who blasted 24 shots in 2002.
Okamoto will likely be joined in the race by fellow Japanese rookie Munetaka Murakami, who rejoined the Chicago White Sox before the all-star break after missing more than a month with a strained hamstring.
Murakami is currently sitting at 20 long balls in 66 games.
The all-time rookie mark belongs to Pete Alonso, who hit 53 homers in 2019.
The Blue Jays lost to the Red Sox 6-4.
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