Kazuma Okamoto ties Ohtani’s Japanese rookie home‑run record with 22nd homer

On July 10, 2026, Toronto Blue Jays third‑baseman Kazuma Okamoto hit a three‑run, 22nd home run of the season against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The 377‑foot shot tied Shohei Ohtani’s record for the most home runs by a Japanese‑born rookie in a major‑league season (22). The blast was part of a four‑run fifth inning that gave Toronto a 5‑2 victory and snapped a three‑game losing streak.

Okamoto’s 22nd homer also set a franchise mark: the most by a Blue Jays rookie and the most by a Japanese player in their first MLB season, coming just one short of the 23‑homer total posted by Ohtani in 2018. Earlier in the week he hit his 21st homer, a grand slam, marking his first career grand slam and the first Japanese player to record a grand slam in his rookie year.

The win moved Toronto above .500 in the American League East and highlighted Okamoto’s emerging power, joining teammates Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer in the offensive surge.