Murakami breaks Ohtani mark
- Yamaka Munetaka hit his 10th home run of the season in his team's 24th game, a new Japanese major-leaguer speed record. - It also marked his fifth straight game with a homer, an active streak. - The feat is already dominating MLB social discussion about Japan-born sluggers and early-season power. (x.com)(x.com)
Munetaka Murakami hit his 10th home run in his 24th Major League game on Wednesday night, the fastest a Japan-born player has reached that mark in the majors. (mainichi.jp) The Chicago White Sox rookie did it with a 451-foot shot to right-center in the seventh inning of an 11-7 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The homer was his fifth in five straight games. (usnews.com) That streak tied the Major League rookie record and matched the White Sox club record for homering in five consecutive games. Associated Press, citing MLB.com, said Murakami is the 13th rookie in big-league history to do it. (usnews.com) Murakami arrived in Chicago in December on a two-year, $34 million contract after the White Sox won a crowded pursuit for the 25-year-old left-handed slugger. General manager Chris Getz said at the time that the club “desperately” needed power. (mlb.com) The power was already established in Japan. In 2022, Murakami hit 56 home runs for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, breaking Sadaharu Oh’s long-standing record for the most homers in one season by a Japanese-born player in Nippon Professional Baseball. (mlb.com) His first month in the majors has turned that résumé into a daily comparison point with Shohei Ohtani and other Japan-born hitters. ESPN’s game log shows Murakami with 10 home runs, a.256 average and a 1.026 on-base plus slugging percentage through April 22. (espn.com) The home run binge has also come in a narrow burst. ESPN’s log shows Murakami homered on April 14, then went deep in five straight games from April 17 through April 22. (espn.com) Chicago still lost Wednesday, but Murakami left Phoenix with his name next to two records and Ohtani’s early Japan-born pace behind him. (mainichi.jp)
