Overview
- Murakami’s MLB debut in Milwaukee on Thursday ended with his first big-league hit, a ninth-inning home run, in a 14-2 White Sox loss.
- He reached base three times with two walks and no strikeouts, standing out on a day Chicago hitters struck out 20 times.
- Chicago signed the 26-year-old slugger to a two-year, $34 million deal after 246 home runs in Japan, including 56 in 2022, with scouts watching how his strikeout rate carries over.
- Manager Will Venable started him at first base and sixth in the order after a spring that included World Baseball Classic duties and a shift from third base, supported by an interpreter and teammates.
- A Brewers fan, Steve Pollack, returned the home-run ball in exchange for a signed bat, and Murakami said he plans to send the keepsake back to Japan.