It's Early, But Munetaka Murakami is On a Historic Pace for the White Sox

Already starting the game three hours late, the Chicago White Sox had their back against the wall in the seventh inning. The Los Angeles Angels were cruising with a 5-1 lead, putting the Sox in position to lose their third-straight at home after an excellent road trip out west.

A Tristan Peters grounder scored Sam Antonacci to cut into the deficit. Then, after Edgar Quero was hit by a pitch, the recently rejuvenated Andrew Benintendi smashed a double down the right field line to clean the loaded bases. The Sox now suddenly had life, and a single out wasn't on the board.

LA went for the pitching change, subbing out Drew Pomeranz for off-speed relief man Nick Sandlin. The Angels weren't putting him in a great spot, as the Sox' biggest threat was set to take the plate. Munetaka Murakami proceeded to draw a 2-2 count before Sandlin sent a 92.9 mph four-seamer toward the middle of the plate. As you can imagine, it was a huge mistake.

MUNETAKA MURAKAMI'S MLB-LEADING 12th HOME RUN

White Sox have taken the lead! pic.twitter.com/VewiEdfe7d
— MLB (@MLB) April 28, 2026

Murakami got under it and admired as it sailed into the bullpen in right field. Unlike many of his other moonshots, this two-run homer left the park with only a 95.8 mph exit velocity and an absurd 48-degree launch angle. It served as another reminder that no one is safe from Murakami's swing, especially in recent weeks.

The blast gave the Sox a 7-5 lead that was quickly increased by a run after Miguel Vargas followed up with his sixth homer of the year. Los Angeles would threaten to tie things up in the ninth, but the Sox managed to evade disaster and secure the 8-7 win. It was another impressive night for a young Sox that is trying to improve its ability to close out games. And it was also another night that showed what having one of the best hitters in baseball can do.

Munetaka Murakami Stands Alone ...

Apr 27, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the seventh inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Monday night's home run was Munetaka Murakami's seventh in the last ten games. His total tally for the year now sits at 12, which is alone at the top of the MLB leaderboard. He finally surpassed Houston's Yordan Alvarez, who was almost always one step ahead of him through the first month of this season.

What makes the hot start all the more impressive, though, is that Murakami is doing this in his first-ever taste of the big leagues. Sure, this opportunity presented itself because of the power he showed in the Nippon League overseas. But carrying that over to the majors is never easy nor a guarantee. Plenty of players go through at least an adjustment period upon arrival, even if that proves more mental than physical. Murakami seemingly isn't one of those players.

The Japanese superstar has looked nothing but comfortable in an MLB batter's box, so much so that he has now put himself on a historic pace. As the league made sure to note, Murakami is currently on track to break both the rookie home run record AND the AL single-season home run record. Judge previously set the latter bar in 2022 with 62 bombs. Meanwhile, Pete Alonso still holds the rookie record with his 53 from the 2019 season.

Of course, it's necessary to note that we are still VERY early in the 2026 campaign. The Sox have played only 18.0 percent of their games this season, which leaves plenty of time for Murakami to cool off or miss a chunk of games.

At the same time, you could make the case that this is exactly why it's worth bringing up. Murakami has gotten off to such a hot start that he has given himself some wiggle room to make history. Is he going to finish with the 67 long balls that he is on pace for? No, but he doesn't have to! The slugger can cool off a bit and still put himself in the running with Judge and specifically Alonso.

To be clear, no one is arguing that this should be the expectation or focus moving forward. It shouldn't. All that really matters is that Murakami has adjusted quickly to life in the bigs. Particularly when we consider where the Sox find themselves as an organization, adding someone like Murakami into the picture matters a ton. As of now, he looks like the kind of player who can play a meaningful role in turning a franchise around. That's about all you can ask for if you're the Sox.

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