White Sox Pitcher Anthony Kay Faced Munetaka Murakami – Now He's Warning the League
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White Sox pitcher Anthony Kay is no stranger to what Munetaka Murakami can do.
While many are getting their first look at the heavy-hitter at Spring Training, Kay is one of the few MLB arms who has actually faced the 26-year-old. Before signing with the Sox this winter to take over a likely starting role, Kay was overseas with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of the Nippon Professional Baseball league. He decided to reinvent his career outside the States after a failed stint with the Sox' crosstown rival in 2023.
Kay absolutely dominated on the Japanese mound. He followed up a hot 2024 campaign with an even more impressive 2025, throwing a 1.74 ERA in his 24 starts. His ground ball percentage sat at a staggering 55.8 percent, while his walk rate was a mere 6.8 percent.
Nevertheless, as overpowering as Kay proved to be, there was still one batter that gave him plenty of trouble. And he's surely thrilled that those two now share a clubhouse!
Anthony Kay Talks Facing Munetaka Murakami
In a conversation with Chuck Garfien of Chicago Sports Network at White Sox Spring Training, Anthony Kay spoke about facing off against Murakami during his time in Japan. When asked what kind of hitter the 26-year-old is, Kay gave arguably the highest praise he could give.
"He's got probably the most power I've ever seen ... It's ridiculous," Kay told CHSN. "We were in a dead-ball era over there, they called it. He was still putting balls 10-20 rows deep. It was impressive. He only played in 50 games last year or something and still had 20 homers. Every time I faced him, I just tried to avoid him as much as possible."
Once again, it didn't matter that Kay was throwing better than anyone in the Nippon league or had an advantageous lefty-on-lefty matchup. The new White Sox starter tried to avoid throwing at Murakami at all costs, and there was still almost nothing he could do. Kay shared that Murakami hit .400 off him in their meetings, though he took some small pride in not allowing him to clear the fence.
All things considered, it's hard not to hear those words and feel even more excited about what Murakami can do in Year 1. Kay has faced some of the best in the business, including some of Major League Baseball's most destructive hitters. Someone with his experience handing out that high of praise can not be ignored. Consider yourself warned, MLB!
Elias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
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