*This content was translated by AI.
Japan's left-handed slugger Murakami Munetaka (26, Chicago White Sox) started his debut year smoothly with three consecutive home runs.
Murakami started the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on the 30th (Korea time) and scored one hit (one home run), one RBI, three strikeouts, and two runs in four at-bats.
The White Sox lost to Milwaukee 7-9 as the mound collapsed, losing to Milwaukee for the third straight time. Murakami was the only comfort in the opening three consecutive losses. Murakami, who hit home runs in the previous two games, drew a large arch 102.1 miles per hour (about 164.3 kilometers) and a distance of 375 feet (about 114 meters). Murakami hit a cutter on the seventh pitch that came low into the body of the right-hander Sprott in the top of the second inning when the White Sox led 5-2. Home runs in three consecutive games since the opening.
As a result, Murakami's season performance came to 0.333 (3 hits in 9 at-bats), three home runs, three RBIs, four walks, four strikeouts, and four runs, and a 0.538 on-base percentage of 1.333 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.871.
According to the official Major League website MLB.com , he became the fourth player to hit a home run in three consecutive games since his big league debut. This is a milestone that even Shohei Ohtani (32, Los Angeles Dodgers), the most successful Japanese major leaguers, couldn't bear. The previous three were Trevor Story (Boston Red Sox), Kyle Lewis (Arizona Diamondbacks) in 2019, and Chase DeLouter (Cleveland Guardians), who hit a four-game home run since the opening in 2016.
It's still a small sample, but it's what the White Sox expected. Murakami applied for Major League Baseball posting after the end of last season. As seen in the 246 home runs in the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB), he was praised for his power. However, it was followed by poor pioneering, including the most strikeouts and three times in the league, and concerns about whether he could hit a fastball of 155km/h or more. As a result, Murakami made his big league debut by signing a relatively inexpensive two-year, $34 million (about 51.5 billion won) contract with the White Sox.
To date, the response of the U.S. media is considerable. MLB.com said, "The White Sox lost all three games with Milwaukee. However, Murakami hit a solo home run every game, showing a strong presence. Anthony Kay, the same teammate who played with Murakami in NPB, also said, "It's as expected. "I've seen something in person, so I'm not surprised (with three consecutive home runs)."
Another media outlet Clutch Point also said, "The two-year contract between Murakami and the White Sox is already exceeding expectations. In the White Sox, where many young prospects came out last year, Murakami could be the key to leading the team to a dark horse in the postseason.
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*This content was translated by AI.
