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White Sox's Munetaka Murakami surpasses Shohei Ohtani with 20-game HR record
TL;DR
Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox has set a new record for home runs by a Japanese-born rookie in their first 20 MLB games, surpassing Shohei Ohtani's previous record. Murakami achieved this milestone with his sixth home run of the season.
Key points
- Munetaka Murakami plays for the Chicago White Sox
- Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million deal
- He surpassed Shohei Ohtani's home run record
- Murakami hit his sixth home run of the season
- Record pertains to Japanese-born rookies in MLB
Chicago White SoxMunetaka MurakamiShohei Ohtani
White Sox's Munetaka Murakami surpasses Shohei Ohtani with 20-game HR record originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
While the Chicago White Sox might not be the top team in the American League Central, they did make one of the best free-agent signings of the offseason.
On a very reasonable $34 million, two-year deal, Munetaka Murakami came to the White Sox and has been off to an incredible start to the year.
As Sarah Langs shared on Twitter/x, Murakami's hot start to the season, after his sixth home run of the year, surpassed the previous Japanese-born rookie home run record in a player's first 20 games of their MLB career.
Munetaka Murakami beats a Shohei Ohtani HR record
"Munetaka Murakami's six home runs are the most of any Japanese-born player in his first 20 MLB games," Langs shared. "he surpassed Shohei Ohtani, who had five in his first 20 games as a hitter."
This is an incredible feat for Murakami and shows how almost every team overthought him in free agency. The power was always real and worth taking a chance on.
Even though he might only be hitting .200 on the season, his six homers and 13 RBIs are great marks that any team would love to have at their first base or designated hitter spot.
More: Shohei Ohtani deemed more valuable than Aaron Judge in recent ESPN discussion piece
Q&A
What record did Munetaka Murakami break in MLB?
Munetaka Murakami broke the record for home runs by a Japanese-born rookie in their first 20 MLB games.
How many home runs did Munetaka Murakami hit in his first 20 games?
Munetaka Murakami hit six home runs in his first 20 games.
Who held the previous home run record that Murakami surpassed?
The previous home run record was held by Shohei Ohtani.
