WEST SACRAMENTO -- Munetaka Murakami has definitely found his groove after scuffling at the plate for most of April.
The 26-year-old Japanese slugger made a little history on Saturday, too.
Murakami homered for the second time in as many days, another gargantuan shot that provided the White Sox with one of their biggest highlights during a 7-6 loss to the Athletics in 11 innings at Sutter Health Park.
“I think he’s settling in,” manager Will Venable said. “Really, in the few games leading up to [this] series, he’d been swinging the bat well. Continues to control the zone. There’s been some more contact in there, putting the ball in play”
Murakami’s seven home runs are the most by any Japanese-born player in his first 21 games -- two more than Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.
That’s not a complete surprise, although Murakami’s rookie season has been marked by peaks and valleys. He first served notice of his potential when he homered in his MLB debut against the Brewers on March 26.
After that, Murakami continued to flex his muscles, but he couldn’t sustain a rhythm at the plate. Prior to the series against the A’s, Murakami was hitting just .167.
Things shifted quickly once the White Sox landed in Northern California.
Murakami’s hitting helped spark Chicago’s slumbering offense to a lopsided win on Friday and nearly ignited another comeback on Saturday. His home run off Hogan Harris leading off the seventh broke a 6-6 tie and put the White Sox in position to win consecutive games for the first time since early April.
However, Chicago stranded two runners in the 10th and left them loaded in the 11th.
Murakami, though, was steady and patient at the plate and set a season high with three walks. His White Sox teammates have quickly taken notice of the Japanese slugger, who has not yet reached the must-watch status of many stars, although he is getting close.
“He’s our superstar,” third baseman Miguel Vargas said. “When he comes to the plate, not just us, but everyone wants to watch.”
A’s fans certainly took notice when Murakami belted a monster home run on Friday, a drive that went a Statcast-projected 431 feet, clearing the batter’s eye. His home run Saturday wasn’t as far, but was equally impressive, traveling 415 feet with an exit velocity of 103.9 mph.
That helped raise Murakami’s season average to .209, a minor improvement, but a sign that he is settling in.
As is normal for most international players, Murakami declined to talk to the media, because he had done so the previous day. That’s no concern for the White Sox, who prefer their young first baseman to make noise with his bat.
“He’s in a really good spot,” Venable said. “Another impressive home run today.”