Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto — how an unknown could decide the World Series
Toronto is counting on its Japanese new guy.
Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto — how an unknown could decide the World Series originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami will find themselves in vastly different situations during the 2026 MLB season.
Okamoto has signed with a Toronto Blue Jays team that is coming off a Game 7 extra innings loss in the World Series. This is a club with massive expectations. Murakami joins a Chicago White Sox group that is coming off one of the worst two-season runs in MLB history.
A little different as far as pressure goes. Both of the highly touted imports from Japan could make big impacts in Major League Baseball. But for Okamoto, things are a little different.
He's being counted on to carry a major mantle right from the start. In essence, he replaces Bo Bichette in the Toronto lineup. Positions got shifted around to accommodate Okamoto at third base, but essentially, Bichette is out and Okamoto is in.