Yomiuri Giants’ cleanup hitter, Okamoto Kazuma (27), hit his 34th home run of the season in an away game against the Hiroshima Carp on the 20th. Hitting three-run home runs for two consecutive days, he leads the Central League in home runs. He has now stretched the gap to 10 home runs over the “monster hitter” of the Yakult Swallows, Murakami Munetaka (23).
Murakami, who was chasing Okamoto, has recently been delisted from the top team. He had hit home runs in two consecutive games on the 16th and 17th but has since ceased producing homers. Unless an unexpected event occurs, Okamoto seems set to be the home run champion for the third consecutive year, after 2020 and 2021.
Trailing 0-4 in the top of the 4th inning, with runners on first and second and no outs, Okamoto blasted a three-run home run. On a 1S count, Hiroshima’s left-handed starter, Damamura Shogo, pitched a changeup that ended up high in the zone. Okamoto did not miss it and sent it flying to the left stands of the Hiroshima Mazda Stadium.
In the previous game on the 19th, trailing 0-6 in the top of the 8th, he fired his cannon. With one out and runners on first and second, he targeted a pitch from the right-hander Morishita Masato right in the strike zone, turning it into his 33rd homer of the season.
As of the 20th, after his home run against Hiroshima, Central League’s home run leader Okamoto has stretched his lead over Murakami by 10 home runs. Photo source: Yomiuri Giants SNS With Okamoto’s “blast”, Yomiuri avoided a shutout loss.
His home run pace has significantly 메이저사이트 기준increased since the latter half of the season, hitting 12 in August. This is a monthly record for a Yomiuri right-handed batter.
Achieving 30 home runs for six consecutive years, Okamoto added three RBIs in the game on the 20th, marking 80 RBIs for six consecutive years. He is also just one shy of his 200th career home run. His personal best of 39 home runs in 2021 seems set to be broken, with 40 home runs looking quite achievable.
In his recent six games, Okamoto recorded three home runs and eight RBIs. He has also surpassed Yokohama BayStars’ Maki Shugo (78 RBIs) to take the lead in RBIs. He’s aiming토토사이트 순위 for his third consecutive “double crown” of home runs and RBIs.
However, despite Okamoto’s three-run home runs on the 19th and 20th, Yomiuri suffered painful defeats against Hiroshima. In both games, the starting pitchers were replaced before the 5th inning.
Yakult’s cleanup hitter, Murakami. Photo source: Yakult Swallows SNS
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