SACRAMENTO, California – Kazuma Okamoto hit his 30th home run of the season on Tuesday, becoming the third Japanese player to reach the milestone this year as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Athletics 4-2.
The Blue Jays rookie launched a solo shot in his first at-bat, going deep for a second consecutive game, and finished 2-for-4 with an RBI at Sutter Health Park.
“I’m glad to have reached one of my goals,” the 30-year-old said. “I’ve been feeling for a while that my hitting sense has been getting better.”
The former Yomiuri Giants standout joined Toronto and hit seven home runs in June, earning American League Rookie of the Month honors for the month.
“Most importantly, I’ve been able to stay healthy and keep playing,” he said.
Fellow rookie Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox reached the 30-homer mark last week, while Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani has also hit 30 home runs this season.
Ohtani was out of the Dodgers’ lineup again on Tuesday, after making a comeback the previous day following a 4-game absence due to multiple physical concerns.
However, the Dodgers gave Ohtani an additional day off to “build him up slowly,” manager Dave Roberts said, adding he was available to pinch-hit and is expected to start Wednesday, according to MLB.com.
Seiya Suzuki doubled and went 1-for-5 in the Chicago Cubs’ 4-3 walk-off loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Meanwhile, Kodai Senga earned his seventh save after pitching a one-run ninth inning in relief as the New York Mets edged the Miami Marlins 7-5.