Murakami clubs 16th HR to end drought with a bang ... then hits 17th

CHICAGO -- White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami has had a homerless drought lasting 30 plate appearances since last clearing the fences on May 8.

But on Saturday night against the Cubs at Rate Field, playing in his second game of the Crosstown Classic, Murakami homered in two consecutive at-bats. That’s child’s play for Murakami, who once homered in five straight in Japan.

Murakami connected on a solo blast in the third inning, and then on a two-run shot in the fifth off Jameson Taillon, fueling the White Sox 8-3 win with the first multihomer game of his MLB career. It also made Taillon the first pitcher he has homered against twice.

Murakami’s home runs were two of five hit by the White Sox against Taillon, with Miguel Vargas going deep in the first for a three-run blast and Colson Montgomery crushing one just two hitters after Murakami in the third. Andrew Benintendi then went deep in the sixth to end chase Taillon from the game. Murakami has 17 homers in his rookie season, while Montgomery has 13 and Vargas has 11.

Those 17 homers leave Murakami tied with Yordan Alvarez (2019), Cody Bellinger (2017) and Wally Berger (1930) for third all-time in a player’s first 45 career Major League Baseball games. Gary Sánchez (19; 2015-16) and Rhys Hoskins (18; 2017) are the only players above Murakami on that list.

Saturday’s prodigious clouts off Taillon marked the eighth time this season Murakami and Montgomery homered in the same game. It’s the most by any teammate duo in their team’s first 45 games of a season in MLB history, per Elias Sports. Murakami, Vargas and Montgomery have homered four times in the same game.

“Credit to him for setting that expectation,” White Sox manager Will Venable said of Murakami before Saturday’s game. “I think it was the first few homers to start the year, and then there was a little period where he didn’t [homer] and [was] answering the same types of questions, and I think he hit eight homers in 10 days. So Mune will be just fine, just hasn’t hit a homer in a couple of days.”

Maybe Mike Vasil, the steady relief pitcher turned broadcaster turned sorcerer, helped the cause. He tapped Murakami on the helmet with his wand, purchased by Jordan Leasure for $20, before the game and did so again before the at-bat.