The Toronto Blue Jays had a little streak going. Every time Kazuma Okamoto drove in at least three runs this season, they won. It was one of those tidy little stats that makes you feel like baseball makes sense sometimes. Great player produces, team wins. Clean.
That streak died Tuesday night in a 9-7 extra-inning loss to the Houston Astros. And it didn’t go quietly.
Toronto spotted Houston a 4-0 lead through four innings. Then they clawed back. Okamoto ripped a two-run single in the eighth that flipped the score to 6-4. The crowd at Rogers Centre had to be thinking: here we go again. That’s the guy. That’s the win streak.
Houston tied it in the ninth. Then took the lead in the 11th. Okamoto drove in another run with a single in the bottom half, but the Blue Jays couldn’t finish the comeback. He finished 3-for-4 with a run scored and three RBIs. The loss dropped Toronto to 39-40. Eight games back in the AL East.
It’s been that kind of season. The Blue Jays are hovering around .500, trying to convince themselves they’re still in the playoff picture. They probably are, but it gets harder every week they can’t string together wins.
Okamoto Is Having a Real Rookie Year
Through 77 games, the third baseman is hitting .241 with 17 home runs and 49 RBIs. He ranks third among all rookies in homers and RBIs. Before Tuesday, he led Toronto in both categories. That’s legit production for a guy in his first MLB season.
The batting average could be higher. But the power is real. The run production is real. And he’s doing it for a team that’s been inconsistent at the plate. The Blue Jays don’t have a lineup that just overwhelms opponents every night. They need nights like this from Okamoto just to stay competitive.
The problem is they need more of them to turn into wins. Tuesday was a reminder that one guy can only carry so much. The bullpen blew the lead. The offense went quiet in extras until it was too late.
Toronto knows what it has in Okamoto. He’s not the problem. But the clock is ticking on this season, and the margin for error is basically gone.
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