SAN DIEGO – Kazuma Okamoto made some history Friday, tying Shohei Ohtani for the most home runs by a Japanese rookie with 22.
More importantly for the Toronto Blue Jays, Okamoto provided the decisive swing in their 5-3 win over the San Diego Padres, hitting a three-run homer into the left-field seats in the top of the fifth inning. Thanks to that swing and a bounce-back outing from Shane Bieber, the Blue Jays improved to 45-49 on the season and are now 1.5 games behind the Mariners for the third American League wild-card berth.
It’s the kind of swing the Blue Jays have come to expect from Okamoto, who has established himself as the team’s most dangerous power hitter in just half a season. Yet afterwards, he downplayed the achievement, saying he’s simply trying to do his part.
“It's just a number,” he explained through interpreter Yusuke Oshima. “You guys all know Shohei’s an awesome player. He's a unicorn. So being able to match that record, yeah, it's awesome. But I just want to do my best so that I can get closer to his level.”
If he can sustain this pace over the season’s second half, the right-handed hitting third baseman would end up with 38 home runs and a .786 OPS. And regardless of where the homer total ends up, he’s sure to pass Ohtani’s record – though White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami will likely be a factor in that race down the stretch, too.
One way or another, this is exactly what the Blue Jays hoped for when they signed Okamoto for $60 million over four years last winter.
“He's got power, man,” said manager John Schneider. “I mean, he didn't even get that (home run). He just continues to be really impressive – adjusting pitch to pitch and game to game. I’m running out of things to say, you know? (That’s) some pretty elite territory there.”
Asked about the growth he’s seen from Okamoto since the season started, Schneider pointed to the evolution of the 30-year-old’s plate approach as he’s gained a better understanding of how pitchers are attacking him. The manager also highlighted the confidence he now has interacting with teammates and coaches.
“A lot of times it takes a little bit of performance to feel welcome,” Schneider said. “I think that he's felt really comfortable since he's gotten here, but when you're leading the charge, it's easy to be really, really likeable.”
As for Bieber, he allowed two first-inning runs on a Xander Bogaerts home run, but settled in after his tough start and got plenty of support from a rested Blue Jays bullpen.
Making his fourth start of the season, Bieber covered 4.2 innings while allowing two runs and three walks on four hits on his way to 97 pitches, a season high.
“I've been feeling good,” Bieber said afterwards. “Some mechanical adjustments are starting to show up.”
From the third-base dugout, Schneider liked what he saw.
“A step in the right direction, for sure,” he said.
Interestingly, Bieber's velocity ticked up Friday as he averaged 93 m.p.h. with his four-seam fastball, up from his season average of 92. While still not overpowering, that increase does put more pressure on opposing hitters and may have helped Bieber generate 11 swinging strikes and four strikeouts.
“Velocity’s not everything,” Bieber said. “(But) when you see the velocity tick up, it shows some of the mechanical adjustments are helping. More than anything, I feel like after the first inning, I started to execute better. That’s what I'm focused on.”
After Bieber’s departure, five Blue Jays relievers combined to cover 4.1 innings while allowing just one run. Mason Fluharty helped Bieber escape the fifth, followed by Chad Dallas, Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Rogers and Louis Varland.
Varland allowed three late hits on the way to San Diego’s final run, but of all those relievers, it’s perhaps Dallas who jumps out the most in this game. A starter in triple-A for most of the season, the 26-year-old hasn’t been used as a leverage reliever until now, but may be called on in these situations more often following the trade of Tommy Nance to the Minnesota Twins.
“I love his composure,” Schneider said of Dallas. “And his breaking ball’s really good.”
All told, it was a tidy, drama-free win for a team that still has plenty of work ahead. With Okamoto slugging homers and Bieber finding his rhythm on the mound, Friday had some significant positives.
“I’m getting there,” Bieber said. “It's safe to say the last three starts were not good enough and not up to my standards, or the Blue Jays’ standards. Tonight was a little bit better and hopefully I can continue that forward momentum.”
The same can be said of the Blue Jays’ season as a whole.
