Murakami hits first postseason homer as White Sox take ALDS opener vs Guardians
In short
Munetaka Murakami hit his first postseason home run, a two-run shot in the fourth inning, as the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians in the opening game of their American League Division Series. The homer came on the first pitch of the at-bat against left-hander Mesick and traveled about 134 meters to right field, and Murakami finished the game with two hits. The second game follows a day off.
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The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians in the first game of their American League Division Series, with Munetaka Murakami hitting his first postseason home run. NHK News and Nippon TV News reported the win, and Jiji Press, reporting from Cleveland, said Murakami's two-run shot was the opening score of the game. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
According to Jiji Press, Murakami batted in the fourth inning with no outs and a runner on first and drove the first pitch — described as an inside sinker of about 150 kph — to right field for a home run of roughly 134 meters. Jiji said the hit also proved to be the game-winning run, and that Murakami shouted toward his celebrating dugout and circled the bases in a hostile ballpark. [ 1 ]
The pitcher was left-hander Mesick, who Jiji Press said had 12 wins and a 2.56 ERA this season and had also given up a home run to Murakami in August. Murakami, quoted by Jiji, said: “I hit the ball well to center in my first at-bat, so I wasn't especially conscious of anything and just wanted to swing through hard.” NHK reported that he finished the game with two hits. [ 1 , 2 ]
Jiji Press reported that the Guardians took the AL Central title from the White Sox by a narrow margin, and that the White Sox have won all three of their playoff games so far. Murakami said his goal was “to get to the postseason like this and win as one team,” adding that the team would “play our own baseball” in Game 2, which follows a day off. Nippon TV News headlined Murakami saying the team's atmosphere is the best, although its document carried only a headline and no article text. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The win gives the White Sox the first game of the division series, which continues with Game 2 after a day off. That a Japanese player's postseason performance was carried by NHK and other national outlets indicates interest among domestic baseball audiences. The documents give no basis for significance beyond the series itself.
Key facts
- The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians in the first game of their American League Division Series. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Munetaka Murakami hit his first postseason home run, a two-run shot that opened the scoring. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The homer came in the fourth inning with no outs and a runner on first, on the first pitch from left-hander Mesick. [ 1 ]
- Jiji Press described the pitch as an inside sinker of about 150 kph and the distance as roughly 134 meters, and said the hit was also the game-winning run. [ 1 ]
- Mesick had 12 wins and a 2.56 ERA this season, and had given up a home run to Murakami in August, according to Jiji Press. [ 1 ]
- Murakami finished the game with two hits. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Guardians took the AL Central title from the White Sox by a narrow margin, and the White Sox have won all three of their playoff games so far, Jiji Press reported. [ 1 ]
- Murakami said the team would “play our own baseball” in Game 2, which follows a day off. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The final score and margin of Game 1. No document states the final score or the winning margin.
- What the White Sox's “three playoff wins so far” refers to. Jiji Press says the team has won all three playoff games so far, but the documents do not say which rounds those games came in or how they relate to the division series opener.
- Nippon TV's full reporting. Only the outlet's headline was available and its summary field is empty, so its coverage cannot be checked beyond the headline.