Munetaka Murakami arrived in Chicago with a first baseman’s power, a meticulous daily routine and a clear reason for crossing from Japan to the White Sox: October baseball. Now, after a late-night December conversation helped bring him aboard, the 35-homer rookie is at the center of a club that stands one win from its first American League Championship Series berth since 2005.
The result
The White Sox return to Rate Field on Wednesday afternoon for Game 3 of the American League Division Series against Cleveland, with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. Central. Chicago’s transformation has been about more than one imported slugger, but Murakami has become a fitting symbol of a clubhouse that expects to play meaningful games.
Will Venable first met that mindset from afar. The manager was on a family holiday trip in New York on Dec. 20 when he joined a Zoom call to help finish the pursuit of Murakami. General manager Chris Getz called it the latest virtual meeting he had ever taken part in.
Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million contract, and the deal helped signal that Chicago’s rebuilding phase was giving way to a different standard. The first baseman said he quickly sensed a winning atmosphere, even after the White Sox opened the season with three losses.
Those defeats were close, Murakami noted, and the club also showed resolve when the Brewers rallied in games early in the season. To him, the way Chicago handled those moments made it clear that the roster belonged in the contender conversation.
“From the start, I felt this was a club with a winning attitude and a winning culture,” Murakami said through interpreter Kenzo Yagi. “We began with three losses, but they were tight games. I knew early that we could contend.”
His own postseason line has had a little of everything. Murakami went 1-for-8 with an RBI in the White Sox sweep of Houston in the Wild Card Series, then delivered a two-run homer Saturday against Parker Messick that may have swung the feel of this Division Series. He has four hits, four RBIs and eight strikeouts in the postseason.
Grant Taylor sees the effect in the everyday tone Murakami has brought into the room. The White Sox reliever called him a professional first and foremost, describing a player who came to the United States to win games and reach the postseason rather than simply establish himself in a new league.
Taylor said that approach helped a group coming off a 100-loss season believe it could become a postseason winner.
Built for the daily work
Murakami’s preparation is as notable to the organization as his left-handed thunder. He works with a personal chef and training staff, following a detailed conditioning program that has remained largely unchanged since Opening Day. The routine has drawn comparisons within the organization to the disciplined preparation Jose Abreu maintained during his White Sox years.
Getz said Murakami’s work habits showed up quickly, sometimes to the point that the club has needed to pull him back from doing too much. The general manager described a player who handles one assignment at a time, building confidence through preparation before carrying it into the unpredictability of a game.
That helps explain why the attention from Japan has not altered Murakami’s demeanor. He is one of the prominent figures in these playoffs back home, but he said the stage does not feel new after nine seasons of professional baseball in Japan.
“I do not feel pressure,” Murakami said. “I went through many big situations during my career in Japan. This feels like the season did.”
A manager and his first baseman
Murakami spoke warmly of Venable during Tuesday’s off-day availability, saying he values the manager as a person and is glad to play for him. Venable returned the sentiment, calling Murakami a special person whose presence matters both personally and throughout the club.
Chicago will have its home crowd behind it Wednesday, with the city expected to bring its October edge back to Rate Field. Murakami, though, has kept his focus narrow. There is little time for sightseeing when the work is still in front of him.
For the White Sox, the path to this point started with a midnight recruiting call in December. It now continues with Murakami in the middle of the order, prepared for the next pitch and another chance to move Chicago deeper into October.
