White Sox Munetaka Murakami surpasses Shohei Ohtani for home runs
Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami has surpassed his countryman Shohei Ohtani for the most home runs by a Japanese-born player through their first 23 games.
White Sox Munetaka Murakami surpasses Shohei Ohtani for home runs originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami has been a revelation since he signed his two-year ($34 million) contract in the offseason.
In his first 23 games, the 26-year-old is hitting . 234 with a . 978 OPS, nine home runs, 21 walks, and 31 strikeouts.
Munetaka’s power was never in question (246 home runs in the NPB) and has been fun to watch, as all of his extra-base hits (nine) have been home runs. He has zero doubles and zero triples. According to OptaSTATS , this is the second-longest streak by an MLB player to begin his career.
The Seattle Mariners Dae-ho Lee leads with 10. More News: Cubs 25-year-old reliever to miss the year after 'arm surgery' Chicago White Sox Munetaka Murakami surpasses his countryman Shohei Ohtani for home runs According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, Murakami’s nine home runs are the most by any Japanese-born player in their first 23 games. This passes his countryman, the Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani , who had six.