Before Saturday’s game against the Cubs, White Sox manager Will Venable didn’t seem too worried about Munetaka Murakami.
Venable knew what he was talking about.
Murakami hit two of the Sox’ five home runs in their 8-3 win over the Cubs. Not only did Murakami break a six-game dry spell, he had the first multi-homer game of his MLB career and helped the Sox climb back above .500 at 23-22.
“I told you guys he’s just fine,” Venable said. “Obviously, he sets a real high expectation, continues to have good at-bats, make good swing decisions and gets really good swings off and when he does, they usually go over the fence.”
Along with Murakami, the Sox got home runs from Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery and Andrew Benintendi. Murakami, Vargas and Montgomery have become one of baseball’s best power trios, and they showed why Saturday.
“They are really good teammates and the centerpiece of the team, as well as everybody,” Murakami said via a translator. “I’m really happy we are on the same squad. We want to keep continuing a day like this.”
Vargas echoed that.
“We prepared for this type of moment and I think we’re doing a really good job,” Vargas said. “I feel it’s not just us three. I think it’s the whole team we’re doing a really good job in every at-bat, and I think they put us in a really good spot to drive in runs and score.”
For Murakami, hitting homers against the rival Cubs in front of a sellout crowd of 38,795 is one of his biggest Sox moments. And two months into his MLB career,
the ups and downs are already part of the Murakami experience.
From April 5-12, Murakami went homerless. He struck out 10 times in that period and hit .043, perhaps reminding people why his free-agent market this winter was not as robust or lucrative as expected. But not long after, Murakami hit home runs in five straight games, sparking chatter about his pace for homers in a season and a hope for power every time he stepped to the plate.
Once again, Murakami ended a rough patch with a bang, beating the Cubs’ Jameson Taillon twice.
“We’re seeing him make adjustments every day,” Venable said. “He’s learning these pitchers for the first time, this is his first time seeing all these guys. He’s able to make [adjustments] in games, pitch-to-pitch,
at-bat to at-bat.”
Murakami was expected to be a “three true outcomes” hitter, one who either hits a home run, strikes out or walks often. That has not been wrong — entering Saturday, Murakami had 15 home runs, one behind the Yankees’ Aaron Judge for the American League lead. His 35 walks were fourth in the AL, and his 64 strikeouts were the most in the American League.
Regardless of the strikeouts, Murakami has made an impression on his teammates.
“He’s a superstar. There’s no other way to [put] it,” said Sox starter Davis Martin, who went six innings and allowed one run. “You play against guys like [Mike] Trout, you play against guys like Judge and Yordan Alvarez and he’s doing the same things that they are. It’s an incredible thing to watch.”
Murakami has been a spark for a franchise that desperately needed one, exciting fans and pushing teammates.
And he’s actually exciting to his teammates as well.
“From a starting pitcher’s perspective, you have four nights where you’re not throwing, where you have front-row seats and you’re expecting him to do something crazy,” Martin said.