Okamoto ties Ohtani's Japanese-born rookie home run record with go-ahead blast

Jays rookie matches Ohtani's rookie homer mark.

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated Jul 121 min read

Kazuma Okamoto has tied Shohei Ohtani for the most home runs (22) by a Japanese-born rookie in Major League history 👏 ht Via @MLB on X

What happened: Kazuma Okamoto hit his 22nd home run of the season, a go-ahead three-run shot that tied Shohei Ohtani for the most home runs by a Japanese-born rookie in MLB history. Toronto held on to beat San Diego 5-3.

Why it matters: The mark ties Okamoto with Ohtani, whose 2018 rookie total set the bar Okamoto now shares. Toronto improves to 15-16 on the season after snapping a recent stretch of mixed results, while San Diego falls to 10-18.

By the numbers: Okamoto: 22 home runs this season, tied for most by a Japanese-born MLB rookie. Toronto: 15-16. San Diego: 10-18.

What to watch: Okamoto has a chance to break the tie outright as Toronto continues its road trip.

Sources

@MLB 2026-07-11T04:57:33.304775+00:00

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