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Instant Reaction: Kazuma Okamoto’s ninth inning home run not enough in Blue Jays’ 4-3 loss to Twins
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Photo credit: © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
May 3, 2026, 16:15 EDTUpdated: May 3, 2026, 16:36 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays’ series winning streak has come to an end.
On Sunday afternoon, the Blue Jays played the fourth and final game against the Minnesota Twins, dropping a 4-3 decision after their late rally fell short. The two teams split the series, with the Blue Jays’ record currently sitting at 16-18. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.
Trey Yesavage made his second start of the season, the first on the road. His start wasn’t as good as his five and one-third scoreless innings last time out, but he found his way out of trouble numerous times on Sunday afternoon. The lone earned run he gave up was thanks to a single, walk, and RBI single.
Neither team managed to score for the next three innings, as the score stood at 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth. Yesavage was pulled and the Blue Jays turned to Braydon Fisher, who struck out the first batter he faced. However, Victor Caratini walked, followed by an RBI double from Luke Keaschall to make it 2-0. Then Kody Clemens hit a double to make it 3-0.
Fisher was taken out of the game and replaced with lefty Joe Mantiply. The first batter he faced, Matt Wallner, hit an RBI double to give the Twins a 4-0 lead. Fisher was responsible for all three of the runs scored in the bottom of the fifth.
Finally, the Blue Jays started to string together some hits in the top of the sixth. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Jesús Sánchez hit back-to-back singles with no outs. Lenyn Sosa struck out, but Daulton Varsho hit an RBI bunt single to cash in the Blue Jays’ first run of the game.
Ernie Clement lined out, then Andrés Giménez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With Tyler Heineman up at the plate, the Jays elected not to pinch hit him, resulting in a first-pitch flyout to end the threat.
Mantiply got the first two outs in the bottom of the sixth, with Tommy Nance getting the next four outs thanks to two strikeouts. In the bottom of the eighth, Jeff Hoffman threw a scoreless inning, allowing a single in the process.
Brandon Valenzuela, who came in to begin the bottom of the sixth, led off the ninth inning with a lineout. Next up was Myles Straw, who pinch hit for Yohendrick Piñango earlier in the game. Straw legged out a single to put a runner on. Then, Kazuma Okamoto went deep for a third consecutive game, bringing the Blue Jays to within one.
In their 8-6 loss to the Cleveland Guardians back on April 24th, the Jays managed to get the game-tying run on base, before Eloy Jiménez grounded into a double play. In Sunday’s game, Guerrero Jr. and Sánchez hit back-to-back singles, but Lenyn Sosa grounded into a double play to end the game. It was unfortunately hit in the wrong spot, as it came off the bat at 107.5 mph.

Takeaways…

The big storyline from the series finale is why did Heineman hit for himself with the bases loaded? Heineman was a productive backup catcher in 2025, but hasn’t hit particularly well so far this season. Brandon Valenzuela has got hot in recent days, and when you add in the fact that Valenzuela was a defensive replacement to start the next half inning, the lack of a move is a bit weird.
If all things ended the same, Jesús Sánchez slipping after his single in the top of the sixth was an unfortunate outcome. His hit split the outfielders and hit the wall, but stumbled and had to return to first. Two batters later, Varsho’s bunt single would’ve pushed Sánchez to third, and Ernie Clement’s lineout likely would’ve been enough for a sacrifice fly. 
That said, who knows if Kazuma Okamoto hits his two-run home run in the ninth to tie it. What a series it has been for the third baseman, as he hit four home runs in the four games, all four have come in the past three days. Okamoto is now up to a 119 wRC+ with a team-leading nine homers and 22 RBIs.
Saturday’s game saw the bottom of the lineup generate the offence, but Sunday’s game was fueled by the top of the lineup. Okamoto, batting second, hit that home run. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 2-5 with two singles, and Sánchez went 3-5 with three singles. Daulton Varsho, batting  sixth, went 2-3 with a double and a walk.
Trey Yesavage wasn’t perfect in this game, but he gave the Blue Jays four innings of one-run ball, giving him a season ERA of 0.96. He walked three batters and had to get out of trouble in multiple innings, but managed to strike out six. Unfortunately, he was tagged with the loss.
It was a tough outing for Braydon Fisher, who gave up three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning pitched. Last season, Fisher didn’t give up an earned run on the road, but now all eight runs (six earned) he’s given up this season have been on road trips.
The rest of the Blue Jays’ bullpen found success. Joe Mantiply gave up a hit which was Fisher’s third earned run allowed. He got his next three batters. Tommy Nance continues to pitch well in low-leverage situations, striking out two of the four batters he faced in an inning and a third. Jeff Hoffman threw a scoreless inning as well.
Four-game series are difficult to win and the Blue Jays probably should’ve won Sunday’s game, but that’s now four consecutive series that they’ve either won or came away with a split. Next up for the Blue Jays, they’ll travel to Tampa Bay for their first game at Tropicana Field since 2024. Eric Lauer will make the start.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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