Munetaka Murakami Breaks Shohei Ohtani HR Record to Open Career

Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami has a bit of Major League Baseball history on his side now.

On Saturday, Murakami crushed his seventh homer of the season in his 21st game played in the big leagues.

Munetaka Murakami has hit SEVEN homers already this season 🤯 https://t.co/Lis7JqosH2 pic.twitter.com/5oj96GE7Ry
— MLB (@MLB) April 18, 2026

Munetaka Murakami Is On A Historic Run

Apr 18, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) jogs around the bases after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images | Scott Marshall-Imagn Images

MLB's Sarah Langs shared on X that this seventh homer actually set a new record for most homers hit by a Japanese-born player in the first 21 games of a player's career. Murakami moved past Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in the process.

"Munetaka Murakami’s seven home runs are the most of any Japanese-born player in his first 21 MLB games," Langs wrote. "He has two more than any other Japanese-born player in the first 21 MLB games, ahead of Shohei Ohtani, who had five in his first 21 games as a hitter."

He followed up and crushed his eighth homer of the season on Sunday.

Munetaka Murakami has hit 8 home runs this season.

This is the SECOND time he's homered in 3 straight games! https://t.co/KsSpNTOxOU pic.twitter.com/rEz6I0pRH4
— MLB (@MLB) April 19, 2026

In the process, Murakami became the second player since at least 1900 with two different home run streaks of three games or more in their first 22 games of their career, per Langs.

While the White Sox haven't been great as a team so far this season, Murakami's big-time power numbers are putting Chicago on the map. Fans around the league, in general, should be tuning in. Murakami's batting average isn't very high. He's hitting just .208. But he is getting on base at a high clip at .376. So, the 26-year-old is either crushing homers or walking, it seems. Murakami has 20 walks in 22 games played.

Murakami has been playing well and the Major League Baseball world is paying attention. If you can do anything that Ohtani hasn't been able to do, then you're doing something right. Right now, Murakami is tied for third in Major League Baseball in homers with his eight long balls. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees currently has the second-most homers in the league at nine. Right now, Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros is leading baseball with 10 homers.

Murakami hadn't touched a big league diamond before the 2026 season. Right now, he is not just fitting in, but actually excelling among his peers. History has been made and it's going to be difficult to top Murakami's numbers to kick off his Major League Baseball career. The White Sox got him for a steal this offseason at $34 million across two seasons.

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