The Chicago White Sox signed then-Japanese free agent Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34 million contract last December.
Just 55 games in, the contract has been justified.
Murakami is second in MLB to Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber in home runs so far this season. His 20th homer came in the form of a 432-foot bomb in the bottom of the seventh inning to put the exclamation point on the White Sox’s 15-2 win over the Minnesota Twins at Rate Field in Chicago on Wednesday.
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The game’s broadcast relayed that Murakami’s 20 home runs are the most hit by an MLB rookie before June since 1901.
According to MLB stats extraordinaire Sarah Langs, Murakami’s 20 home runs through his first 55 MLB games rank third all time behind Cody Bellinger’s 22 in 2017 and Wally Berger’s 21 in 1930 — and he joins Frank Thomas’ 21 in 1994 and Jim Thome’s in 2006 in White Sox history specifically.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MAY 26: Munetaka Murakami #5 of the Chicago White Sox celebrates a two-run home run off Joe Ryan #41 of the Minnesota Twins (not pictured) during the eighth inning at Rate Field on May 26, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Earlier this month, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported on Murakami’s sensational rookie year and quoted an anonymous American League official in saying, “it was a bad miss by everyone” to not get in on the Murakami sweepstakes.
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Prior to signing with the White Sox, Murakami was a two-time MVP in Japan’s Nippon Professional League. In 2022, he hit 56 home runs for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, a record for home runs in a single season by a Japanese-born player in the league’s history (via MLB.com).
By beating Minnesota on Wednesday, the White Sox improved to 28-27. They sit 3.5 games back from the Cleveland Guardians (33-25) atop the AL Central entering their series finale with Minnesota on Thursday afternoon.
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