Munetaka Murakami’s sensational start to life in Major League Baseball (MLB) shows no sign of slowing down. On Wednesday night, the Chicago White Sox slugger became the second Japanese-born player to homer in five consecutive games, following in the footsteps of the Dodgers’ two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who did it last year. Murakami has now hit 10 home runs in just 24 games as a rookie, which is faster than any other Japanese-born MLB player.

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Munetaka Murakami Driving White Sox Home Run Surge

His two-point 454-foot blast off Ryan Thompson on Wednesday marked the longest homer of the season so far by a White Sox player. Despite Murakami’s efforts, the White lost the game 11-7 to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The night before, he his his fourth home run in-a-row in the White Sox’s 11-5 rout against the same opponents. The 426-foot drive was one of three consecutive homers in the second inning, as the away side stretched their lead to 7-0. The other two came from Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery.  

“He puts himself in a real good position every single pitch,’’ White Sox manager Will Venable said of his Japanese slugger. “He’s on time and sees the ball well… We’re seeing real good plate discipline. Obviously, the power is incredible… I think I may be slowing him down a little bit on the bases. He always wants to get out and steal some bases. But he’s just a guy that’s getting more and more comfortable every day.” 

A Historic Season 

Given his high strikeout rate, it’s unlikely Murakami will maintain this pace over a full season, though he still has the potential for a standout campaign. His most impressive season for his previous team, the Yakult Swallows, came in 2022, when he set the single-season record for a Japanese-born player in Nippon Professional Baseball with 56 home runs, while winning the Triple Crown with a .318 batting average and 134 RBIs. If he can get anywhere near that this year, he will become an instant White Sox hero. 

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Updated On April 23, 2026