Munetaka Murakami Just Tied An MLB Rookie Record With Another White Sox Blast

White Sox fans may have their next superstar.

Entering Wednesday's late-night battle against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Munetaka Murakami was in a position to make more history. The overseas sensation, who shockingly signed with Chicago in the offseason, had four consecutive games with a home run. It was actually his second time this season putting together a streak of at least three straight games with a blast.

As impressive as the run has been, a fifth in a row would put Murakami in a whole new class. So, can you guess what he did in the top of the seventh at Chase Field?

Diamondbacks relief pitcher Ryan Thompson made a huge mistake, tossing Murakami a 90.8 mph four-seamer in the middle of the plate. The moment it touched Murakami's bat, everyone in the ballpark knew it was gone. The ball traveled 451 feet into deep center with a 110.2 mph exit velocity.

FIVE STRAIGHT FOR NO. 5️⃣ pic.twitter.com/Ndy8cumnXW
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 23, 2026

As Murakami cut the Sox' deficit to 10-7 and made his way around the bases, he officially tied the MLB rookie record for consecutive games with a home run. Equally notable, he tied the longest such streak in franchise history, which is a club that only six former Sox are a part of. The list includes A.J. Pierzynski, Paul Konerko, Carlos Lee, Frank Thomas, Ron Kittle, and Greg Luzinkaki, per CHSN.

Speaking of elite lists, Murakami is also now tied for having the third-most home runs in a player's first 24 career games since 1900. The only players to sit ahead of him, per Sarah Lang, are Aristides Aquino (2018-19), Rhys Hoskins (2017), and Gary Sanchez (2015-16).

Munetaka Murakami Can't Be Stopped

Apr 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami hits a home run in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Rarely is a player immediately as good as advertised, but Munetaka Murakami fits that descriptor. Known for his historic power hitting in Japan, the hope was that he could come to the States and immediately serve as one of Major League Baseball's most dynamic hitters. Not only has this proven to be the case, but he's managed to join the history books in merely 24 games.

Speaking of which, Murakami is now the fastest White Sox player to ever reach double-digit homers in a season. His 10 have also moved him behind only Yordan Alvarez for the MLB lead. And the Houston Astros DH has played two more games than Murakami this season!

It also continues to feel worth mentioning that Murakami has paired this dominant slugging with an excellent eye at the plate. His 21 walks remain the fourth-most in baseball, helping push his 1.026. This has been a massive part of Murakami's early-season story. His chase rate ranks within the 95th percentile, according to Baseball Savant, which means he's essentially forcing batters to attack him straight on. And, well, that's a battle they continue to lose!

Despite Murakami's heroics, the Sox did go on to drop the second game of the series with Arizona. However, there is a reason they say hitting is contagious. The Sox' offense has been significantly better over the last week-plus, and they still managed to post seven runs in this loss. Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas joined Murakami in sending one deep, too. This made it a fourth-straight game with a bomb for Montgomery and a third straight for Vargas!

Do the White Sox still have a long way to go before they are considered a genuine threat? Absolutely, but there is no question that this recent run is showing they are on a very promising track.

Add us as a preferred source on Google