Munetaka Murakami, the Japanese slugger who signed a $34 million, two-year contract with the Chicago White Sox in December, made a impressive Cactus League debut on Friday, hitting two runs and two RBIs despite being late due to traffic.
MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Munetaka Murakami was a late arrival for his first spring training game with the Chicago White Sox. However, once he got to the ballpark, everything went pretty smoothly. Murakami had two hits and two RBIs in his Cactus League debut on Friday, as reported by Associated Press.
The 26-year-old Murakami was momentarily removed from the starting lineup after he got caught in some traffic on his way to Sloan Park. But he arrived about 20 minutes before the first pitch and bounced to second base in his first at-bat in the first inning of an 8-1 victory over the Cubs.
“There was a big, big accident in the highway,” Murakami said through a translator. “I was just concerned the whole time. … To be really, really honest, I wasn’t able to prepare fully, but I made it in time I think.”
Murakami is hoping to provide a lift for the White Sox after they dropped a whopping 324 games over the previous three seasons. He hit .270 with 246 homers and 647 RBIs in 892 games over eight years with the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Central League, as per AP News.
Manager Will Venable praised Murakami for collecting himself after his trouble getting to the game. “This guy is so committed and such a professional,” Venable said. “We’ve asked him to do some things that he hasn’t necessarily been accustomed to and how he prepares and his adaptability and flexibility to do those things has been awesome. That adjustability gives you confidence that he’s going to be able to go out there and make adjustments throughout the year.”
For more on Murakami’s performance and the White Sox’s spring training, visit AP MLB.
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