Kazuma Okamoto turned a slider into a souvenir and a small place in Toronto Blue Jays history on Friday night. The infielder sent an 87 mile per hour pitch from New York Yankees starter Ryan Weathers into the fifth deck at Rogers Centre, a 423-foot drive that made him the 10th player in franchise history to reach the 500 level with a home run.
The blast came in the first game of a three-game set and gave Toronto an early 3-0 lead over New York. For a team trying to close ground in the American League East, it was exactly the kind of jolt that can change the tone of an evening, even if the standings remain stubbornly wide.
Okamoto joined a list that includes Joe Carter, Carlos Delgado, Jose Canseco, Shawn Green, Raul Mondesi, Josh Phelps, Vernon Wells, Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson as the only Blue Jays to clear the fifth deck with a homer. Since Rogers Centre opened in 1989, only 19 players in major league history have reached that level with a home run, a reminder of how much power it takes to put a ball that high and that far.
The drive also fit into a strong first season in the majors for Okamoto, who entered Friday hitting.230/.309/.422 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI. Toronto had not been getting much separation in the division, though, and the club still began the night in third place at 33-36, nine games behind the Tampa Bay Rays and Yankees for the top spot.
That is what made the moment feel bigger than one swing. Okamoto gave the Blue Jays an early cushion, but the pressure around the team did not disappear with the ball in the fifth deck. The next chapter in the series was left unwritten, and Toronto still needed the rest of the game to match the rare shot that opened it.
