SAN DIEGO — Munetaka Murakami blasted a cutter from Jake Woodford over the right-field wall for a home run in the ninth inning of the March 26 season opener against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.
That was just the start for the two-time Nippon Professional Baseball Japanese Central League Most Valuable Player.
Murakami ended April sharing the major-league lead with 12 home runs. He sits atop the list with Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez.
“I’m really still focusing on the day to day performance,” Murakami said through an interpreter on April 22 in Phoenix. “I have to stay humble and keep doing what I’m doing right now.”
Column: A modest April is good enough for the Chicago White Sox to dream
Right now, he has been launching baseballs out of the park.
“Probably about as good as it gets,” manager Will Venable said Wednesday of Murakami’s April. “I can’t imagine him being any better than what he’s been doing. And that includes defense and on the bases too.
“And then obviously all the stuff at the plate, with the plate discipline and the power. This guy has been amazing. So as good a first month as you can have in the big leagues.”
His 12 home runs in March/April are the most in Sox history, breaking the previous mark of 11 held by Paul Konerko in 2010. It’s also the most in Major League Baseball history by a rookie in March/April and the most in MLB history by a Japanese-born player in his first 31 games.
Hitting coach Derek Shomon had a tough time deciding a favorite Murakami home run.
“Oh, man, the (grand slam against Athletics pitcher Elvis) Alvarado, the one that went over the batter’s eye (at Sutter Health Park on April 17), was pretty sick,” Shomon said Sunday. “But was it the (Athletics starter Jeffrey) Springs sweeper that he hit pull-side (April 19), he posted up for a second, that was pretty sick.”
Shomon was asked a day before Murakami’s go-ahead three-run home run in the seventh inning Monday against the Los Angeles Angels, which Venable said was “maybe the most timely” of the 12.
Here is a closer look at Murakami’s memorable March/April by the numbers.
5
Murakami’s grand slam against the Athletics began a stretch of five consecutive games with a home run.
That streak matched the Sox record shared by A.J. Pierzynski (2012), Konerko (2011), Carlos Lee (2003), Frank Thomas (twice in 1994), Ron Kittle (1983) and Greg Luzinski (1983).
Murakami became the 13th rookie in MLB history to go deep in five straight games and the second Sox rookie to do it (Kittle in 1983).
The home runs came in a variety of fashion.
Against the Athletics, there was the grand slam on April 17, a solo home run in the seventh inning a day later and the two-run blast in the fifth inning against Springs in the finale of the three-game series.
He hit another solo shot on April 21 at Arizona that began a string of back-to-back-to-back home runs for the club (followed by Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery). His final home run in the streak (two-run) occurred in the seventh inning during a rally that fell short on April 22.
“Every pitch he sees, he’s collecting information and getting himself focused on whatever this guy’s trying to do to him,” Venable said April 22. “He understands the game plan against each one of these guys and he wants to go out there and execute it, and he has executed.
“He’s not missing good pitches to hit and just kind of throws out quality at-bats one after the other.”
6
The home run streak came to an end on April 23 when Murakami went 1-for-5 with a single against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
Murakami picked right back up the next night, hitting a solo shot in the fourth inning against Washington Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas. With that long ball, Murakami joined Magglio Ordóñez (2001), Albert Belle (twice in 1998), Thomas (once in 1996 and twice in 1994) and Kittle (1983) as the only players in Sox history to hit six home runs in seven games — according to Elias.
“He’s like must-watch TV,” Sox pitcher Anthony Kay said Tuesday. “Every time he comes up to the plate, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Whenever he comes up, you’re glued to the top shelf of the dugout, ready to see something special happen.”
25
It hasn’t been just all power for Murakami, who finished April tied for fifth in the big leagues with 25 walks. He tied Jim Thome (2007) for the most walks in franchise history in March/April.
“He’s walking at a high clip because he is not expanding,” Shomon said.
Overall, Murakami completed April with a .236/.375/.564 slash line, 23 RBIs, 22 runs, 25 walks and 46 strikeouts in 31 games. The strikeout total ranked second in the American League. He was sixth in the AL in slugging and OPS (.939) and tied for sixth in runs.
“We knew it would be an adjustment, but I would say that he’s handled this adjustment fairly well,” Shomon said. “And he’s admitted, ‘Hey, the pitching here, it’s good.’ I mean, it’s very good, it’s the big leagues, but he’s done everything in his power to put himself in a position to be successful that night and he is going to continue to do that.
“There are going to be rough stretches, not just for him, but for everybody. But he’s going to respond to those accordingly.”
