Kazuma Okamoto just blew up with a monster three-run home run in the fifth inning, propelling the Blue Jays to a 5-3 win over the San Diego Padres and extending their win streak to three games. Seriously, a few days ago, this kind of streak felt like a dream, but Okamoto absolutely showed out at Petco Park. That blast tied Shohei Ohtani's incredible record for home runs by a Japanese-born rookie with 22, and guess what? He's still got time to break it.
Okamoto Goes OFF! The Fifth Inning Rally That Sparked Everything
The fifth inning was pure magic. Myles Straw kicked things off with a slick bunt single, setting the table beautifully. After Jonatan Clase flied out, Ernie Clement kept the momentum going with a single, and then Vladimir Guerrero rolled one out towards third for an RBI single. It might not have been pretty, but an RBI is an RBI, right? Then Okamoto stepped up and absolutely tattooed one 377 feet to left-center, coming off the bat at 107.6 mph. That’s the kind of power that gets you hyped, and it put the Jays firmly in control. Earlier in the fourth, the squad managed to score one run after Vlad walked, George Springer singled, and Alejandro Kirk doubled, but honestly, with runners on second and third and only one out, we should've gotten more. Daulton Varsho and Luis Urias both grounded out to end that threat. Overall, nine hits and three walks are good, but a few more runs would've been sweet. Clement and Straw were dialed in with two hits each, while Varsho and Urias had a rough day at the plate.Bieber's Battle and a High-Stress Save
On the mound, Shane Bieber had a shaky start, giving up a walk and a Xander Bogaerts home run in the first. Another walk and a single had us all collectively holding our breath, thinking it was going to be one of those long games. But to his credit, Bieber settled in after that first frame. He wasn't lights-out, but he was definitely better, leaving the game after a two-out single in the fourth. Mason Fluharty came in to snag the final out of the inning, and Bieber finished his day with 4.2 innings, six hits, three walks, four strikeouts, and two earned runs. Our bullpen came through huge, too. Chad Dallas, Jeff Hoffman, and Tyler Rogers all tossed scoreless innings, keeping the Padres at bay. Louis Varland, however, decided to test everyone's blood pressure in the ninth. He got the first two outs, then gave up three straight singles, pushing his ERA above 1. With the tying run on base, he dug deep and got Bogaerts to ground out to third, securing his 19th save of the season. Okamoto even had a busy day flashing the leather on defense, showing he's more than just a bat. Tomorrow, we've got another late game, kicking off at 8:40 PM Eastern. Trey Yesavage (4-4, 3.31 ERA) is on the bump for us, going up against Walker Buehler (5-5, 5.07 ERA). Let's see if we can keep this win streak rolling and ride the Okamoto power surge! Oh, and in other news, Canadian Tristan Peters hit for the cycle for the White Sox and was even miced up for it , only the second Canadian ever to do that! Wild.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.