White Sox Slugger Munetaka Murakami Homers in 5th Straight Game, Ties MLB Rookie Record [Video]

(CNA, Phoenix, 22nd) American League's Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami hit his 10th home run of the season today. By homering in his fifth consecutive game, he tied the Major League Baseball (MLB) rookie record and took sole possession of second place on the home run leaderboard.

Facing the Arizona Diamondbacks today, Murakami hit a deep center-field home run in the 7th inning. With back-to-back multi-hit games and homers in five straight, his OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) has now surpassed 1. His home run total is second in the league only to the Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez, who has 11.

Murakami has amassed 10 home runs in his first 24 career MLB games. This ranks fourth in MLB history since 1900 and sets a new high for a Japanese player.

According to MLB.com, Murakami is the 13th rookie in MLB history to hit a home run in five consecutive games.

Historically, six players in White Sox franchise history have achieved the feat of homering in five straight games, with "Big Hurt" Frank Thomas doing it twice during the 1994 season.

Murakami's 2-run home run in the 7th came off Diamondbacks relief pitcher Ryan Thompson, cutting the deficit to 7-10. This 451-foot blast to center field is also the longest home run hit by a White Sox player this season.

Murakami has tallied 21 hits so far this season, including 10 home runs. Today, he also tied the Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani for the record of most consecutive games with a home run by a Japanese player in MLB.