White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami makes MLB history with latest HR

Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami makes MLB history with latest HR

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated Apr 21, 2026 11:40 PM ET

As Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami continues to crush home runs, the beginning of his MLB career has become historic. Murakami's latest display of power even etched his name next to baseball's unicorn Shohei Ohtani in the history books.

By hitting his ninth long ball of the season early in the White Sox's Tuesday night matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Murakami extended his home run streak to four games.

Munetaka Murakami is making history early in his MLB career

The 26-year-old rookie, who signed with the White Sox in the offseason after being posted by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in November, joined Ohtani and Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki as the only Japanese-born players to ever homer in four straight MLB games.

Murakami's nine home runs are the most ever hit by any Japanese player in his first 23 games. And for reference and context, Ohtani blasted six in his first 23 games as a hitter.

Munetaka Murakami has hit NINE home runs in his first 23 MLB games https://t.co/AgRncfZnOY pic.twitter.com/qoC36Edj1Z
— MLB (@MLB) April 22, 2026

While Murakami hasn't had a perfect experience in the big leagues — he entered the game hitting only .208 with 31 strikeouts — he clearly brought the pop in his bat with him to America.

Munetaka Murakami was a superstar in Japan before joining the White Sox

Before leaving Japan, Murakami posted a career .273/.394/.550 slash line with 265 home runs and 722 RBI across eight foreign seasons, most notably in the Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB), playing third and first base.

He hit 246 of his total home runs and drove in 647 runs over 892 games in the NPB, which is widely regarded as the top professional baseball league in Japan. He even achieved a Triple Crown season in 2022 and was named Central League Rookie of the Year in 2019, as well as MVP in 2021 and 2022.

Murakami has already become a must-watch player for MLB fans in Chicago and across the world.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

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