CHICAGO — Munetaka Murakami has developed a special handshake with infielder Miguel Vargas and credits teammate Mike Vasil’s magic wand celebration for helping power his latest home run. Fans wearing his No. 5 jersey fill the seats at Rate Field.
The Japanese power hitter wasn’t expected to land with the Chicago White Sox, but the partnership is proving highly successful.
Murakami appears completely comfortable alongside Chicago’s talented group of young position players, and they’ve been demolishing baseballs throughout this season. Through Sunday’s games, Murakami tops the American League with 17 home runs and leads his team with 32 RBIs, while the unexpected White Sox are second across all of baseball with 66 total homers.
“It’s the full lineup, one through nine. Feeding off each other,” Murakami said through his interpreter, Kenzo Yagi. “It’s a great confidence builder, seeing other players get good results. I just want to be that contributor and contribute to the lineup and contribute to the team’s wins.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Murakami’s 17 homers rank as the third-highest total by any player in major league history during their initial 45 games. He also established a record by homering in eight straight series openers between April 14 and May 8.
When Murakami approaches home plate, one of baseball’s three true outcomes typically follows. He also stands among major league leaders with 36 walks and 66 strikeouts.
“He’s a superstar. There’s no other way to do it,” White Sox pitcher Davis Martin said. “You play against guys like (Mike) Trout, you play against guys like (Aaron) Judge and Yordan Alvarez and he’s doing the same things that they are. It’s an incredible thing to watch.”
Murakami becomes the fourth Japanese-born player in White Sox history, following Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07) and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Takatsu previously managed Murakami in Japan.
“He’s had to make a ton of adjustments to get comfortable,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “And I know that probably is not easy for him. So yeah, he’s just a guy who has that flexibility to come into different environments and then get comfortable and I think this speaks a lot to his character and who he is.”
The 26-year-old Murakami earned Central League MVP honors in both 2021 and 2022. An oblique injury restricted him to just 56 games last season, though he still posted a .273 average with 22 homers and 47 RBIs.
He joined MLB’s posting system in November. With a lighter market than anticipated due to overblown concerns about his ability to handle velocity, the White Sox secured the slugger with a $34 million, two-year deal in December.
Since Murakami’s explosive start this season, White Sox general manager Chris Getz has received congratulatory calls from fellow GMs.
“One GM said ‘Congratulations, you beat the industry on this one,’” Getz said, “so that was nice to hear, and it’s worked out and you know we feel really excited about having him in a White Sox uniform and he’s helping us win baseball games.”
Murakami arrived late to his first spring training game due to traffic delays, but things have gone smoothly since then.
He launched solo homers in each of his first three regular-season contests. He demolished a 431-foot grand slam during a 9-2 win at the Athletics on April 17, starting a five-game home run streak. He delivered a three-run blast in an 8-7 victory over the Angels last month.
With Vasil continuing his magic wand routine in the White Sox dugout, Murakami went deep twice in his first career multihomer performance on Saturday night against the crosstown Cubs.
He’s no longer flying under the radar.
“He’s a dangerous hitter and a guy you definitely have to be careful with,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.
Murakami continues working to improve. He identified adjusting to different pitchers daily as his greatest challenge and is becoming more comfortable playing first base.
When asked about his biggest adjustment moving to the majors, he paused and smiled.
“Compared to Japan, here, the environment’s totally different,” he said. “The space, the fields and everything is really nice. That’s the … biggest surprise.”
