Murakami eager to aid hometown after devastating earthquake

CHICAGO -- Munetaka Murakami’s laser-like focus was on display as usual during his White Sox 3-2 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday night before 33,743 fans at Rate Field, finishing with a double in four at-bats.

But it would be easy to understand how the first baseman from Kumamoto, Japan, could have had his attention greatly diverted with his hometown being hit by a major earthquake earlier in the day. Various reports have the magnitude ranging from 6.8 to 7.1, with CNN stating 13 people have been confirmed dead.

Fumiyo, Murakami’s mother, and his dad, Kimiya, were with their son in Chicago when finding out the news sometime after midnight. They each had thrown out a first pitch prior to Sunday’s 12-3 victory over the Astros, in honor of their son’s bobblehead giveaway, and were scheduled to stay in Chicago through Thursday’s homestand finale.

Although their family and friends are OK, as is their home, they returned to Japan on Tuesday after hearing of the earthquake. Murakami spoke to the Japanese media about the situation after the team’s fourth loss in five games during this homestand, and Kenzo Yagi, his interpreter, shared his comments with the American media.

“I was really surprised and devastated by the news,” Murakami said through Yagi. “The last earthquake I experienced was 10 years back. Obviously it’s really hard to swallow. It’s a natural disaster, so it’s nothing anyone can really expect at the moment, but I was deeply in shock.

“Moreover, from the [earthquake] 10 years back, it was just beginning to recover in full form, so it’s really unfortunate this actually happened again. It’s a very unfortunate event.”

Murakami is a talented player, with 22 home runs, 48 RBIs, 54 runs scored and a .920 OPS this year despite missing 35 games due to a Grade 2 right hamstring strain. He’s a leader who has helped transform this franchise from rebuilding club to a playoff team in less than one full season.

He’s also a solid individual, who has been there in full force with his teammates, great with kids who visit the White Sox and is already giving back to the Chicago area. Murakami helped out in the recovery process after the last earthquake in Kumamoto on April 16, 2016, where 278 people in his hometown and Ōita Prefecture perished in disaster-related deaths, according to various reports, and he wants to do the same now.

“It does really affect me. I’ll try to keep doing what I can,” Murakami said. “It’s not like it flashes back or anything. It’s more the overall concern about the people and everybody who is affected by the disaster itself.”

Adding Murakami via a two-year, $34 million free-agent deal opened up the entire Pacific Rim area to the White Sox, in a geographic location previously represented by second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, reliever Shingo Takatsu and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome in their long franchise history. Takatsu and especially Iguchi contributed to the team’s 2005 World Series championship.

While the White Sox have new interest emanating from Japan, the love from the hometown fans continues for Murakami. He hopes to provide an on-field respite to those who are suffering.

“I’ve always got a lot of cheers from everybody back in Japan, and that’s what gives me power to play baseball and get out there,” Murakami said. “As a professional baseball player, I would like to give back by playing hard and [giving] something to cheer on for the people back in Kumamoto. I’ll do whatever is necessary to get results.”

Even with Tuesday’s setback, made closer by a two-run Chase Meidroth home run off David Bednar with two outs in the ninth, the White Sox (55-51) still hold a 1 1/2-game lead over the Guardians in the American League Central after Cleveland split a doubleheader in Cincinnati. The division is getting tighter by the day, with Minnesota (54-54) now two games back and the Tigers sitting five back at six under .500 (51-57).

Results haven’t been near what the White Sox wanted during this homestand against the Astros and Yankees, with two games remaining against New York. The solid level of play remains, with some tweaks needed.

“We're upset about losing and the results,” said right fielder Braden Montgomery, who had two hits. “Then it's also, ‘All right, how are you going to learn from that?’ You've got to remove the emotion from it, look at the result, look at how it came about and learn about how you're going to use that going forward.

“These aren't the most important games that we'll play. While every game is important, there's more important stuff down the road."