Munetaka Murakami Homers in 4 Straight Games; 9 Homers in First 23 Games Extends Japanese Player Record
Chicago White Sox's Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami hit a home run for the fourth consecutive game, tallying 9 homers in his first 23 MLB games and breaking the rookie record set by Shohei Ohtani.
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- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 14:50
- 🔍 Collected: April 22, 2026 at 15:02 (11 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 17:00 (25h 58m after Collected)
(Central News Agency, Phoenix, 21st, Comprehensive Foreign Wire Report) Chicago White Sox's Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami homered again today, hitting a home run for the 4th consecutive game. Accumulating 9 home runs in his first 23 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) this season, he once again set a new high for Japanese players and helped the White Sox defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-5.
The White Sox scored 4 runs in the top of the first inning. With two outs in the top of the second, Munetaka Murakami connected on an 89 mph changeup, blasting a 426-foot solo home run to right field. Subsequently, Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery also homered back-to-back, making it three consecutive home runs and extending the lead to an overwhelming 7-0.
This home run is Murakami's 9th in his first 23 games since transitioning to the major leagues this year, setting a new high for Japanese players and continuously pushing past the rookie season record set in 2018 by another Japanese star, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
According to MLB's official data, Shohei Ohtani hit his 5th home run in his 19th game in 2018, and accumulated 6 homers after his 23rd game. If Murakami continues to hit a home run tomorrow, he will tie the White Sox franchise record for homering in 5 consecutive games.
Six players in White Sox history have achieved the feat of homering in 5 consecutive games, among them the "Big Hurt" Frank Thomas, who did it twice during the 1994 season.
The White Sox scored 4 runs in the top of the first inning. With two outs in the top of the second, Munetaka Murakami connected on an 89 mph changeup, blasting a 426-foot solo home run to right field. Subsequently, Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery also homered back-to-back, making it three consecutive home runs and extending the lead to an overwhelming 7-0.
This home run is Murakami's 9th in his first 23 games since transitioning to the major leagues this year, setting a new high for Japanese players and continuously pushing past the rookie season record set in 2018 by another Japanese star, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
According to MLB's official data, Shohei Ohtani hit his 5th home run in his 19th game in 2018, and accumulated 6 homers after his 23rd game. If Murakami continues to hit a home run tomorrow, he will tie the White Sox franchise record for homering in 5 consecutive games.
Six players in White Sox history have achieved the feat of homering in 5 consecutive games, among them the "Big Hurt" Frank Thomas, who did it twice during the 1994 season.