Third baseman Kazuma Okamoto collected his first career hit in the major leagues in the Toronto Blue Jays’ season-opening 3-2 victory against the Athletics on Friday.
He also scored two runs, including the winning run in the bottom of the ninth on Andres Gimenez’ walk-off single.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Okamoto got a pitch he could handle from A’s righty Scott Barlow and deposited a soft liner to left field for his first knock in the majors. Okamoto was thrown out at second on a fielder’s choice hit by Ernie Clement one batter later.
Okamoto, 29, was the top addition to the Blue Jays’ lineup in the off-season, coming over from a successful 11-year career in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league.
Okamoto got the start at third base, batting seventh in the Jays’ order in their opener. He was signed to a four-year, $60 million contract in the off-season.
Okamoto also scored the first run of the season for the Blue Jays in the fifth on a triple by Andres Gimenez, when Athletics outfielders Tyler Soderstrom and Denzel Clarke got crossed up on a ball in the gap and let it roll to the left field wall. Okamoto had reached on a walk earlier in the inning.
A power threat with a great command of the zone, Okamoto figures to be one of the more intriguing bats in the Jays’ lineup this season. He launched at least 30 home runs in six consecutive seasons in Japan’s top league from 2018-23, and had a career on-base percentage of .355 over 11 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants of NPB.
Okamoto finished his Blue Jays debut with a 2-for-3 line with a walk and two runs scored in the win.