Murakami, 161 km/h light-speed pitch crushed! Japanese rookie breaks MLB record for most home runs, surpassing Ohtani and overtaking Okamoto

*This content was translated by AI.

Chicago White Sox's "monster hitter" Munetaka Murakami (26) continued his record-breaking debut season in Major League Baseball (MLB), swinging a fierce bat day after day. He surpassed not only Shohei Ohtani (32, Los Angeles Dodgers) with 22 home runs but also Kazuma Okamoto (30, Toronto Blue Jays), who has recorded 24 home runs this season, rewriting the record for most home runs by a Japanese rookie in MLB.

On the 9th (Korean time), Murakami started at second hitter and first baseman in the home game against the Cleveland Guardians at Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA, hitting his 26th home run of the season. This marked back-to-back home runs following the previous day (8th).

In the bottom of the sixth inning with the team trailing 0-2, one out, and no runners on base, Murakami stepped up to bat for the third time that day. He drove in a 99.8 mph (approximately 161 km/h) light-speed sinker from opposing starter Gavin Williams' third pitch. The hit ball reached a speed of 101.1 mph (approximately 163 km/h), traveled 347 feet (approximately 106 meters), and cleared the left-field wall.

With this home run, Murakami extended his own record for "most home runs by a Japanese hitter in their first MLB season" from 25 to 26. This follows his previous feat of surpassing Ohtani's 22 home runs set during his 2018 Los Angeles Angels tenure with a 23rd home run on July 30, and then taking sole possession of the top spot with a 25th home run on the 8th by overtaking Okamoto. Just one day later, he cleared the wall again, leaving only four home runs short of his dream "30-home run" milestone.

This historic achievement began with explosive power early in the season, dipped into a slump once, and culminated in a complete resurgence. Starting from the beginning of the season, Murakami hit an impressive 12 home runs in March and April alone, including a five-game consecutive home run streak (tying records for Japanese players and his team), becoming the first to reach 20 home runs in the American League (AL). He won the AL Rookie of the Month award in May and surged forward, but his momentum was halted at the end of May when he landed on the injured list (IL) due to a right hamstring strain.

Although he struggled with a power drought for some time after returning, Murakami fully regained his hitting form by exploding with multi-home runs against the Houston Astros on July 28, marking his first such performance in nearly two months.

Entering today's game, Murakami had appeared in 80 games, posting a batting average of 0.236, 25 home runs, 52 RBIs, an on-base percentage of 0.369, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.900. He has firmly established himself as the key starter leading the White Sox's turnaround after three consecutive seasons with over 100 losses. His OPS also rose to 0.910. Notably, he delivered a crucial tying run in today's game, contributing to the team's 6-3 comeback victory.

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*This content was translated by AI.