So much of the 2026 White Sox has been about first baseman Munetaka Murakami.
Yes, there have been plenty of additional bright spots during a surprisingly fun and successful first third of the season, but it all comes back to Murakami. He’s the player who entered Saturday tied for the American League lead with 20 home runs and added game-changing pop to the lineup. He’s injected life into a moribund franchise and the Rate Field stands, giving Sox fans a true international star to cheer for.
Now that’s on pause after Murakami hurt his right hamstring Friday night in a moment reminiscent of the Luis Robert/Eloy Jimenez era. Sox general manager Chris Getz told the Sun-Times the Grade 2 hamstring strain “looks like it’s probably going to be a four-weeker, which stinks.”
During his absence, it’s up to Murakami’s teammates to keep the Sox going in the right direction and in the AL playoff race. They’ll have to do that despite the toughest part of their schedule, a stretch that covers series against the Phillies, Braves, Dodgers and Yankees.
“Hopefully, we’ll stay afloat and keep this interesting,” Getz said before the Sox beat the Tigers 7-1 to move four games above .500. “But there’s no real time to sulk, right? That’s not how you’ve got to go about this thing. But it’s a bummer.”
The Sox didn’t let Murakami’s injury bother them Friday. Despite seeing him leave in the third inning after trying to beat out a double play, the Sox showed their resilience by rallying in the ninth to tie the game and winning it in the 10th on Miguel Vargas’ two-run home run.
It’s that attitude that’s turned the Sox into a compelling team. Of course, having someone like Murakami makes that easier.
“I’ve had these games before, but not like [Friday] night,” Getz said. “A walk-off, but earlier in the game you lose your star player. So, it’s like this mixed emotion of, ‘Man, we pulled that one out, but also, oh, wait, what happened earlier?’”
What happened earlier was the Sox lost one of the sport’s most potent power hitters.
Murakami leads the Sox in home runs, pacing a lineup that increased its total to 79 on homers by Edgar Quero, Colson Montgomery and Andrew Benintendi. Murakami was stressing opposing pitchers, walking 44 times and frequently getting on base to give his teammates opportunities to drive him in.
The offense still has Vargas, Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Sam Antonacci and new addition Jacob Gonzalez. Vargas and Montgomery are breaking out this season, and Sox manager Will Venable stressed the hitting strategy won’t need to change without Murakami.
“We have guys in different spots in the lineup where we’re still going to do everything we can to scratch and claw and play some small ball and put pressure on the defense,” Venable said. “Our approach doesn’t change, but certainly not having Mune is gonna make our lineup feel different.”
A frustrated Murakami, who admitted Saturday his hamstring still hurt, will be around the team as he recovers and said he’ll help any way he can.
It just won’t be with his bat.
“As a professional baseball player, it’s a must to really commit to a win,” Murakami said through a translator. “That’s what we do every single day. I never really thought about us being a losing team. It’s always having that winning culture and going into games with that kind of mindset. I have that mindset every single [day], we are here to win.”
For the next 30 days, the Sox must do their winning without Murakami.
Contributing: Steve Greenberg