Munetaka Murakami's First MLB Hit with the White Sox? A No-Doubt Home Run

The Chicago White Sox' Munetaka Murakami made the most of an ugly afternoon in his MLB debut.

Mar 26, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) runs the bases after hitting a solo home tun in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

I bet you can guess how Munetaka Murakami got his first MLB hit!

The Chicago White Sox' newest slugger sent one deep over the right field wall in the ninth inning of his first-ever Opening Day. The Japanese superstar took a ball and fouled off a change-up before a 90.5 mph cutter dropped right in his sweet spot. While the ball may have traveled a modest 384 feet, it left the ballpark with a 31-degree launch angle and with a 103 exit velocity.

Much like Chase Meidroth's blast to lead off the game, it was no-doubter:

✅First ML hit
✅First ML HR

Welcome to The Show, Mune! pic.twitter.com/6c63PXJai7

— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) March 26, 2026

The game may have been well over by that point with the White Sox down 14-1, but the homer still capped off a solid individual day for Murakami. He drew two walks in his first two at-bats, serving as one of the only White Sox batters to take a disciplined approach against Jacob Misiorowski.

Indeed, if anyone felt likely to strike out against the high-velocity fastball pitcher, it was Murakami. The 26-year-old looked like a seasoned vet, however, and looked well aware of the command issues Misiorowski can face. He was one of only two members of the White Sox starting lineup not to record a K this afternoon. Aside from the two walks and the home run, he recorded a groundout in the top of the seventh.

Many were surprised to see Murakami sitting sixth in the order coming into the big day. He has been batting clean up during the majority of his spring training action, which undoubtedly made sense considering all the power behind his bat. While this isn't necessarily the kind of huge performance that forces manager Will Venable to change things, it still feels like we may be due for that swap on Saturday.

Andrew Benintendi sat No. 4 in the order on Thursday, which was likely due to his left-handed swing. But he proceeded to strike out twice and was eventually pulled for Lenyn Sosa. While Venable clearly values his veteran experience, it also sure feels like he's going to be best suited further down the order. His past two seasons have left something to be desired, and the Sox already implied that he could be moving into a slightly different phase of his career with their roster decision. They decided to go with six outfielders, including a pair of newbies who could slot in at left field.

At the end of the day, as careful as we must be about reading into one game, it does feel like manager Will Venable learned a lesson fast. I'd expect a meaningful lineup shake-up on Saturday afternoon.