TORONTO - Kazuma Okamoto blasted a home run for the second straight game, taking his tally to 19 for the Toronto Blue Jays in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers.
With the Blue Jays trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the 29-year-old third baseman launched a two-run shot deep to left field to cut the deficit to one run.
The former Yomiuri Giants star now has the most home runs by a Japanese-born Major League Baseball rookie batting right-handed, surpassing the previous mark set by Kenji Johjima with the Seattle Mariners in 2006.
"There are still many games left to play, so I want to stay prepared and avoid injury as I move forward," said Okamoto, who is averaging over .300 in June after struggling in the .200 range in April and May. "I approach every day wanting to produce good results. It's great that this led to a home run."
Okamoto, the leading vote-getter among American League first baseman in the initial phase of voting for the July 14 All-Star Game, finished 2-for-4 in his second consecutive multi-hit outing at Rogers Centre.
In other MLB action, Seiya Suzuki hit a solo home run for the Chicago Cubs in a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, marking his first homer in 11 games.
Batting in the cleanup slot as designated hitter, Suzuki broke the ice with a 409-foot (125-meter) bomb to lead off the fifth inning against Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski (9-3) at American Family Field.
Roki Sasaki (3-5) was charged with the Los Angeles Dodgers' 7-1 loss to the San Diego Padres after giving up three runs on three hits and five walks over four-plus innings at Petco Park.
Tomoyuki Sugano allowed seven runs on eight hits and a walk in the Colorado Rockies' 9-8 loss to the Minnesota Twins. The Japanese right-hander did not factor in the decision at Target Field.
