PHILADELPHIA — With the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani missing the All-Star Game and not even in the building Monday, Munetaka Murakami of the White Sox was supposed to be the big Japanese headliner in the outfield plaza at Citizens Bank Park for media day.
Not so much.
Murakami was a late add to the American League All-Star team and Monday night’s Home Run Derby after missing 35 games with a Grade 2 strain of his right hamstring.
The media throng Monday was thin — certainly not like it would have been for Ohtani, who’s in Los Angeles having his left knee drained in preparation for the second half of the season.
“It’s mostly Japanese media,” Murakami said through his regular interpreter, Kenzo Yagi, when asked what kind of crowd he’d anticipated. “I didn’t know what to expect.”
About 100 people were there, almost all from Japanese electronic media, with a sprinkling of English-speaking reporters bopping in and out for the 40-minute session, which occurred while the rest of the AL stars and staff talked around Murakami.
Yagi basically had the session off as Murakami was peppered mostly with questions in Japanese, which he responded to in Japanese.
The Sun-Times asked most of the questions in English, but there were others:
How have you prepared for the Derby?
“I haven’t.”
Have you participated in one in Japan, and how have you done?
“Not well.”
What do you anticipate doing in the All-Star Game? Anything beyond a pinch-hit appearance?
“I haven’t talked to them about that, so I haven’t even thought about it.”
Who’s a better home run hitter, you or Ohtani?
“Shohei Ohtani.”
Your favorite home run hitter of all time?
“Barry Bonds.”
Majestic swing from Mune 😎 pic.twitter.com/xOoWCTrcfI
— MLB (@MLB) July 14, 2026
What do you think about replacing Ohtani as the top Japanese player here?
“It would’ve been best if I had been able to play with Ohtani. Ohtani-san is always Ohtani-san. I have big respect for him, and hopefully it will happen in the future.”
Asked if there’d been any talks with the Sox about a contract extension, Murakami shook his head in the negative.
No question, he has had just as much impact on the Sox as Ohtani has had on the Dodgers, sans the veteran supporting cast. Murakami didn’t generate much interest around the rest of MLB last offseason as he sought a deal to come over from Japan. Baseball operations personnel defined him as a “three true outcome” batter, with home run output that wouldn’t make up for his abundant strikeouts.
The Sox signed him in December for two seasons, $34 million, and with 20 homers and 42 RBI to offset 87 strikeouts in 60 games (211 at-bats), he has been worth every cent so far. Throw in a .911 OPS and a 152 OPS+, and what’s not to like? He was everything advertised before trying to sprint out a potential double-play grounder on May 29 against the Tigers at Rate Field. He clutched his leg and had to leave the game, returning to the team just before the break.
“I really appreciate all the people who went through the rehab process with me,” Murakami said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be here right now, so I want to send my thanks over to them. There’s still a long season ahead. I want to keep my health so I can finish the season without getting injured.”
Two years after breaking the major-league record with 121 losses, the Sox are one of baseball’s biggest surprises at the break. They have a 50-45 record and are tied with the Guardians for first place in the AL Central. On Saturday, they had the top pick in the draft and got the player they’d vetted and wanted: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky.
Their cup doth runneth over.
“We are fortunate to have a quality major-league team right now and to have three of our major-league infielders have 20 home runs going into the All-Star break,” general manager Chris Getz said Saturday. “That speaks to the talent that is on this field, and quite honestly made us more comfortable [with our draft selection].”
Murakami said he anticipated the Sox having a competitive team when he traveled to Glendale, Arizona, this spring and joined them at Camelback Ranch. But nothing like what’s transpiring now.
“I liked the feeling in the clubhouse,” he said, noting there was a winning vibe.
Has he fully acclimated to the major-league environment now, or are there still adjustments to be made?
“I’m able right now to adjust to all the challenges that come my way,” he said. “Not adjust, but face all the challenges that come my way.”
A spokesperson finally stepped in and said Murakami had time to answer one more question. The largely Japanese media contingent remained silent.
And with that, Murakami’s media-day session adjourned.