Kazuma Okamoto, the fourth hitter for the Japanese professional baseball Yomiuri Giants, achieved 40 home runs in his first season since his debut. He set a meaningful record on his way to winning his third home run title.
Okamoto started as left fielder No. 4 in the game against Chunichi Dragons held at Vantelin Dome in Nagoya, Japan on the 15th.
Okamoto struck out with a missed swing on Chunichi starter Reia Nakachi’s 150km fastball in the first inning with two outs and a runner on second base. In his second at-bat in the 4th inning with a 1-0 lead, he targeted Nakachi’s first-pitch slider (132 km) and hit a solo home run that went over the left wall.
Following the game against Hanshin the previous day, he hit 40 home runs for the season with two consecutive home runs.
Okamoto, who played for the Japan national team in the World Baseball Classic last March and was a winning member, had only 2 home runs in 24 games in April, but hit 9 home runs in 24 games in May. He continued to lead the league in home runs in June with 7 home runs. He approached 40 home runs with 12 home runs in 23 games in August.
Okamoto, who joined Yomiuri in 2015, established himself as a starter in 2018, his fourth year, and grew into a slugger. He started with 33 home runs in 2018 and hit 30 home runs for six consecutive years until last year. His personal high is his 39 home runs in 2021. On this day, he set a new record for the most home runs in a season.
Okamoto, who won the home run title twice in 2020 (31 home runs) and 2021, is certain to become the home run king for the third time this season. Munetaka Murakami (Yakult, 29 home runs), who set the record for the most home runs in a season by a Japanese player last year (56 home runs), ranked second in the league in home runs. There is a difference of 11 points from Okamoto.토토사이트
Okamoto added 1 RBI, giving him 92 RBIs for the season. He is attempting his third 100 RBIs following 100 RBIs in 2018 and 113 RBIs in 2021. His RBI is second in the league. First place is Yokohama’s Shugo Maki with 96 RBI.
Yomiuri recorded its 20th home run of the season with Okamoto’s home run in the 4th inning, followed by Hayato Sakamoto’s back-to-back home runs. Sho Nakada also hit a solo home run to take the lead to 4-0. Nakada hit a home run (15th) in a row with two runs in the 4th and 6th inning.
This is the third time this season that Yomiuri’s three main players, Okamoto, Sakamoto, and Nakada, have hit home runs together in one game, after the game against Chiba Lotte on May 31 and the game against Rakuten on June 16.
Starting pitcher Shosei Togyo recorded his first win in 43 days with 3 hits, 9 strikeouts, and no runs in 8 innings. With 11 wins in the season, they ranked second in most wins in the Central League. First place is Yokohama’s Azuma Katsuki (14 wins).