Explaining Kazuma Okamoto's new celebration as Blue Jays' spring surge continues

With each passing day of the Spring Training season, Kazuma Okamoto looks more and more like he's going to be a fan favourite for Toronto Blue Jays fans for a long time. From his introductory press conference, to his initial spring interview, to the first few games, Okamoto continues to build up his own personal fanbase. Along the way he's bringing some Japanese culture and flare to a team that had been looking to add a star from the Pacific rim for years.

It won't be a surprise to see ball players of all ages across Toronto (and Canada) doing the "Okamoto celebration" when they hit the ball in their local leagues this year - a celebration that has some actual meaning and significance behind it.

Explaining Kazuma Okamoto's new celebration as Blue Jays' spring surge continues

Okamoto hit a double in Thursday's game (Feb. 26) against the Miami Marlins and when he reached second base he made a gesture with his hands that looked like he was stirring an invisible bowl. While the Blue Jays and other teams have used the over the top "stirring the pot" taunt for several years now, this one looked different, as seen in the tweet above.

The Blue Jays captioned it themselves as a "New Kazuma Celebration" and what he was actually mimicking was the grinding of sesame seeds. The process is known as gomasuri, which is a practice in Japanese culture that is seen as a fundamental and mindful part of their cuisine.

The celebratory moment comes as Okamoto continues to cement himself as someone who will be a key player in Toronto's success in 2026. Through Thursday's games, Okamoto is 3-for-9 at the plate with one massive home run and four RBIs. The home run showcased how much power he has and that his reputation for being a slugger while playing in Nippon Professional Baseball, will indeed carry over to MLB.

Okamoto will be leaving the team soon to join Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic at some point next week. That means Blue Jays fans will get to see their newest addition compete in high profile - high stakes games before the regular season gets going. During the 2023 edition of the tournament, Okamoto hit .333/.556/.722 with a 1.27 OPS in seven games, with two home runs, seven RBIs and eight walks with just four strikeouts.

That's the kind of production the Blue Jays would love to have from Okamoto over the course of his four-year deal as it would certainly fit in with the mold of what the Blue Jays began building last year and hope to continue as a winning formula in the years beyond.