Despite putting up prodigious numbers across the ocean in Japan, there were more than a few clubs who were weary about how Munetaka Murakami’s skillset would translate to the MLB level. As a result, rather than inking a big money deal like some of his fellow countrymen, Murakami settled for a 2 year, $34M “prove it” pact with the White Sox.
Chicago, who were fresh off a 102 loss season, had little to lose by taking a chance on Japan’s single season home run king, and their faith has been rewarded in spades in the early going of the 2026 season. Murakami’s 7th inning blast sailed 454 feet marking the 5th consecutive contest in which he’s gone yard.
As a result, he’s tied a franchise record for most consecutive games with a home run, tied Shohei Ohtani’s record for most consecutive games with a HR by a Japanese born player, tied an MLB record for most consecutive games with a home run by a rookie, and now owns the franchise record for fewest career games to reach 10 total homers (24).
Detractors will say that his 32 strikeouts during that span are what gave scouts pause about the potential of a big money, multi-year deal. However Murakami has also walked 21 times and features a .404 on base percentage to date. Overall he’s hitting .256 with 10 home runs, 19 RBIs, 19 runs scored, and an OPS of 1.026.
“Right now, my swing is pretty good overall. It’s still early in the season, so I still have to keep adjusting to the pitchers, but right now I’m swinging really well,” Murakami said after the team’s loss. “If the stats do come up as all good, that will be wonderful. I’m not really focused on any particular stat.”
“We’re definitely influencing each other, and all of the lineup getting a lot of runs in is obviously a good thing. Other than that, I’m really disappointed that we lost today. We’ve just got to get out there tomorrow and really win the series.”
Since 1900, only Aristides Aquino, Rhys Hoskins, and Gary Sanchez have hit more home runs in MLB history in their first 24 games. Perhaps more importantly for Sox fans, Murakami’s power streak seems to be rubbing off on his teammates as well.
Third baseman Miguel Vargas has homered in three straight contests, and Colson Montgomery has gone deep in 4 straight games himself. Montgomery and Murakami now become the first pair of teammates to each homer in 4 consecutive games in the history of the league.
“I’m just running out of things to say,” said White Sox manager Will Venable of Murakami. “Obviously, he continues to put himself in a really good spot to take good swings on good pitches, making great swing decisions, and making a ton of contact. And when he hits it, he hits it really hard. Even the singles he’s hitting, he’s hitting hard, and, obviously, the damage is incredible, too. So, yeah, it’s impressive to watch.”
While all of this offence certainly makes for some entertaining baseball, Chicago has continued to struggle to find wins in 2026. Currently sitting at 9-15 on the year, only the Kansas City Royals, who have gotten off to a sluggish start themselves, have a worse record in the American League at the moment.
The Sox will wrap up their series against the Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon as Murakami & Co. attempt to keep their home run surge going. Chicago will then head home for a six game homestand against the Nationals and Angels beginning on Friday.
Photo: Scinsvche. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.