Murakami (fatigue) rests ahead of long journey to Japan for World Baseball Classic

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Munetaka Murakami’s last game with the White Sox before joining Team Japan for the World Baseball Classic ended with the first baseman not on the field.

Murakami was in Thursday’s original Cactus League lineup against the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers at Camelback Ranch, hitting third in between Kyle Teel and Lenyn Sosa. But he was scratched more than two hours before first pitch as a precautionary measure due to general fatigue.

That fatigue is understandable considering Murakami has played in four Cactus League games with a team-high 13 at-bats. Manager Will Venable wanted to take care of the players taking part in the WBC during this first week of games, but with a long flight awaiting Murakami Friday morning, the day off became a smart move.

“I had a lot of fatigue coming in. I was ramping up at a very high speed,” said Murakami through interpreter Kenzo Yagi. “When I looked at the schedule with my long flight coming up tomorrow, I thought this was a very good idea to take a rest day and prepare for the upcoming schedule.

“It was a very tight schedule with everyday practices in the past two weeks. Every day I was not feeling that much pressure, but when I did look at it with a holistic point of view, I thought that some fatigue was getting to me, to be honest. This is where I kind of realized it."

During his Arizona time with the White Sox, with a Feb. 8 arrival to Glendale, Murakami knocked five hits in those 13 at-bats with two doubles, two RBIs and five strikeouts. He played exclusively at first base, where the bulk of his defensive work will come during his debut season, but he did plenty of pregame work at third base.

More than just the on-field work was important for Murakami, who became the fourth player in franchise history from Japan to suit up for the White Sox via a two-year, $34 million free agent deal. He was able to quickly bond with his present teammates, showing off a solid sense of humor amid his intense work ethic.

The White Sox players did everything they could to make Murakami feel at home.

“Yeah, he’s been great,” said shortstop Colson Montgomery of Murakami. “I just like talking to him about random stuff, nothing baseball at all. That is most of our conversations.

“From the moment I met him here, I feel like his English has gotten a lot better. We’ve had good conversations without his translator and that shows a lot about him, that he’s willing to learn English a lot for the betterment of the team, for us being able to communicate with him, too. He’s teaching us some [Japanese] words. He’s good. He’s a great addition.”

Helping Murakami find that comfort level also is good for the team.

“Like anything, we all probably play our best when we feel comfortable with everybody,” Montgomery said. “Just able to be ourselves and that’s what we want him to be. To be himself. He’s a really funny guy.”

“All the teammates have given me the communication that have comforted me over Spring Training,” Murakami said. “So, I'm really glad to have a lot of teammates who have my back."

Japan will be looking to repeat as WBC champions, as will Murakami on an individual level. In a recent interview with MLB.com, Murakami said the competition is “everything to me.”

He’s just as focused on winning with the White Sox, having checked off important boxes before temporarily leaving camp.

“I'm fully prepared with all the batting, fielding, throwing, everything,” Murakami said. “All the fundamentals that are needed for me to prepare and to go out to the WBC."

“His ability to be part of this young group, his personality has been amazing,” Venable said. “What really stuck out is we asked him to do things in his training and preparation that are different from what he’s done in the past. For someone to be so convicted in his preparation and take it so seriously, to be that adjustable has been cool to see.”

Venable delivered a special message to Murakami prior to WBC action.

“Good luck and excited to watch him,” a smiling Venable said. “Going to be rooting for him and his success. Even when he’s playing Team USA, we’ll be rooting for him. Maybe not Team Japan as much. Just excited to see him go do his thing and be tuned in.”