Kazuma Okamoto of the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Professional Baseball is running for the top spot in home runs by exploding three home runs in his first game of his personal career.메이저사이트
Okamoto started as the fourth third baseman in an away game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp held at Matsuda Stadium in Hiroshima, Japan on the 6th. 4 at-bats, 3 hits, 3 homers, 4 RBIs. He hit 3 home runs, including a home run in consecutive hits, and quickly scored his 30th home run of the season. He reached the 30 home run record for the sixth consecutive year.
Okamoto hit a 146 km fastball from Hiroshima starting pitcher Daichi Osera in the first at-bat in the first inning, with two out and first base, and fired a two-run home run that went over the left wall.
Japan’s Daily Sports reported, “It was an extra-large home run with confidence that the left fielder didn’t move a single step.” Okamoto said, “I was definitely able to catch (the timing). He scored the first point and feels good,” he said.
Okamoto, who came out as the lead batter in the 4th inning with a 3-0 lead, pulled Osera’s 134 km cut fastball on the second pitch and hit a home run that went over the left wall slightly. It was his third consecutive home run following the game the previous day. Season 29 home run.
Okamoto, who started again as the lead batter in the 6th inning, was out on a shortstop ground ball. In the 7th inning, with 1 out, 2nd and 3rd base, he intentionally walked out with 4 pitches. The opposing pitcher had no reason to play.
With Yomiuri leading 7-0 in the 8th inning, Sho Nakata came out as a pinch hitter with one out on second and third base and hit a three-run home run that went over the left fence. Then, Okamoto hit a 136 km cut fastball in the third pitch of Hiroshima’s fourth pitcher Kono and hit a back-to-back home run. With this one shot, Okamoto recorded his 30th home run for 6 consecutive years and the first in his personal career to hit 3 home runs in a single game.
Okamoto is hitting 8 homers in 6 games played in August. Eight of the 10 hits he recorded in six games were home runs.
Okamoto, who was silent with no hits in 4 at-bats against Yakult on the 1st, hit 2 home runs against Yakult on the 2nd and 2 homers against Yakult on the 3rd, becoming the first individual to record multiple home runs in 2 consecutive games. He hit a home run against Hiroshima on the 5th, and again hit a home run in two consecutive games.
In July, he was sluggish with a batting average of 2.21 and 4 home runs in 21 games, but as soon as August started, he hit 8 home runs in the last 5 games.
Okamoto, who recorded 30 home runs, far surpassed last year’s home run king Murakami Munetaka (Yakult, 19 home runs) by a margin of 11. In 97 games this season, he has a batting average of 3.1, 30 home runs and 69 RBIs with an OPS of 1.007. He is leading the league in home runs and two RBIs.
Okamoto is likely to break his personal record with 39 homers in 2021, which is the most personal home run, and 40 home runs this season.