"A Japanese batter leading the MLB in home runs..." Japan in an uproar: "We didn't expect this much" — praised even in the U.S.

*This content was translated by AI.

Japan itself is unable to hide its excitement over the outstanding performance of Munetaka Murakami (26, Chicago White Sox).

On the 28th (Korean time), Murakami started at second batter and first baseman in the home game against the Los Angeles Angels at Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA, recording two hits in four at-bats with one home run, three RBIs, and one run scored.

Murakami had been silent in his previous two games, going hitless in nine at-bats. But today was different. He sparked the offense with a ground ball single to left field against starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz. Murakami later grounded out to center field in the bottom of the third and to first base in the bottom of the fifth.

His decisive performance unfolded in the seventh inning. With the White Sox trailing 1-5 and rallying to 4-5, Murakami came to the plate with no outs and runners on second and third.

There, Murakami targeted the fifth pitch from Angels reliever Drew Pomeranz, a left-handed pitcher, launching a three-run home run that turned the game around. It was a crucial home run that gave the White Sox a 7-5 lead. This was Murakami's 12th home run of the season. According to the MLB.com GameDay broadcast on the official MLB website, the exit velocity was 95.8 mph (approximately 154.2 km/h), and the distance was 382 feet (approximately 116 meters).

With this home run, Murakami jumped into sole possession of first place in the home run category, surpassing Jordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros and Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. Ultimately, thanks to Murakami's outstanding performance, the White Sox won 8-7.

After today's game, Murakami's season statistics stand at 29 games played, a batting average of 0.243 (25 hits in 103 at-bats), 12 home runs, 23 RBIs, 21 runs scored, 22 walks, 41 strikeouts, an on-base percentage of 0.373, a slugging percentage of 0.592, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.965. Coincidentally, all 12 of his extra-base hits have been home runs.

Murakami's outstanding performance has also electrified Japan. The Japanese media outlet Baseball Channel stated, "Murakami is becoming the most talked-about presence in Major League Baseball. He hit home runs in three consecutive games to start the season, then hit home runs in five consecutive games in mid-April. Riding that momentum, he has now taken sole possession of first place in the home run category. No one will doubt his skills anymore. While he does strike out somewhat frequently and there are concerns about his defense, he is performing so well that those issues are easily forgotten."

MLB.com also praised him, stating, "Murakami is not only adapting to the big leagues but is also making history. He was expected to be a powerful hitter in Japan, but no one anticipated this level of performance. We never imagined he could perform so consistently on the Major League stage."

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*This content was translated by AI.