Updated April 22, 2026, 11:03 a.m. ET
PHOENIX — Well, perhaps Munetaka Murakami received’t have a tough time making that transition from Japan to Major League Baseball in any case.
In the meantime, is he ever making a complete lot of groups look silly for ignoring him in free company.
Murakami made extra historical past Tuesday night time by homering for the fourth consecutive game in the Chicago White Sox’s 11-5 rout over the Arizona Diamondbacks — a 434-foot shot —going the place no Japanese participant has ever gone earlier than.
He shouldn’t be solely the primary Japanese-born participant to hit 9 homers in his first 23 video games, but in addition the primary participant since at the very least 1900 to provide 9 homers and greater than 20 walks in the primary 23 video games of a profession.
The solely Japanese gamers who’ve ever homered in 4 consecutive video games at any juncture in their profession are three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs All-Star outfielder Seiya Suzuki.
Murakami, 26, is trying similar to the dude who was Nippon Professional Baseball’s premier slugger, breaking the legendary Sadaharu Oh’s single-season residence run file with 56 homers as a 22-year-old, and profitable two MVP awards.
Sure, the season is simply three weeks previous, however the strikeouts and swing-and-miss charges that spiked since his historic 2022 season, with groups involved whether or not he’d make sufficient contact to even present energy, now are regretting that they allowed the White Sox to just about steal Murakami with a modest two-year, $34 million contract.
Murakami is soft-spoken and humble about his early heroics, saying he merely is joyful that he’s contributing, however his bat is doing a complete lot of speaking.
Murakami is hitting .234 with 9 homers — only one behind MLB chief Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros — with 17 RBI and a .978 OPS. He has struck out 33 instances in 97 plate appearances, however he has additionally walked 22 instances, giving him a .398 on-base share.
He is all the pieces the White Sox may have imagined, and way more.
“He places himself in an actual good place each single pitch,’’ White Sox supervisor Will Venable stated. “He’s on time. He sees the ball effectively. … We’re seeing actual good plate self-discipline. Obviously, the ability is unimaginable. Continues to enhance defensively. I feel I could also be slowing him down just a little bit on the bases. He at all times desires to get out and steal some bases. But he’s only a man that’s getting increasingly comfy daily.
“Obviously, he’s having quite a lot of success.’’
Murakami certainly is trying fairly comfy lately, hitting 4 homers for a mixed 1,705 toes. He reached base 4 instances Tuesday, together with his 434-foot blast off Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly, his MLB-leading third homer this season touring 113 mph or sooner off his bat.
It definitely introduced again recollections of his 432-foot blast off Kelly in the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship game over USA.
“I used to be in a position to picture the pitcher rather a lot higher as a result of I did face him in the WBC,’’ Murakami stated. “The time I hit in the WBC was a fastball, however at this time was a [89-mph] changeup. But I used to be actually joyful that I used to be in a position to hit it for a house run.’’
What pleases Murakami greater than something, he says, is that his residence runs have helped ignite the White Sox offense. They’ve scored 33 runs in their 4 video games on this journey, profitable three of them.
“We’re very a lot connecting from the highest to the underside in the lineup,’’ he stated, “and I feel it’s simply actually vital that we actually proceed as a group to get good outcomes. I hope we are able to hold doing that.’’
The Diamondbacks, one in all a number of groups that had curiosity in Murakami however weren’t a finalist in the bidding, may solely sit again and admire the present, feeling a tinge of jealousy.
“He was on lots of people’s radar screens,’’ Diamondbacks supervisor Torey Lovullo stated. “We knew there was a particular participant there. I’ve been watching him carefully, and I’ve been a fan of his.
“He’s going to be a reasonably particular participant.’’
Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale.
