Murakami shakes off traffic delay
ahead of Cactus League debut with the White Sox
[February 21, 2026]
By JAY COHEN
MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Munetaka Murakami was a late arrival for his
first spring training game with the Chicago White Sox.
Once he got to the ballpark, everything went pretty smoothly.
Murakami had two hits and two RBIs in his Cactus League debut on
Friday. The Japanese slugger is learning his way around the major
leagues after reaching a $34 million, two-year contract with the
rebuilding White Sox in December.
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 was part of a slate of debuts on the first day of spring
training games. Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso and Diamondbacks
third baseman Nolan Arenado homered for their new teams, and Alex
Bregman went 0 for 2 while playing three innings in his first game
with the Cubs.
“It was a great to be out here and play in a spring training game
with the Cubs,” said Bregman, who signed a $175 million, five-year
contract with the team in free agency. “It was fun. Obviously super
cool to have all that energy in the ballpark.”
Alonso got a warm ovation before his first at-bat against the
Yankees. He was robbed of a hit on Kenedy Corona's diving catch in
the third, but he drove Bradley Hanner's first-pitch curveball deep
to left for a two-run shot in the sixth inning of Baltimore's 2-0
win in Florida.
Alonso hit 38 homers last year in his final season with the New York
Mets. He agreed to a $155 million, five-year contract with the
Orioles in December.
Arenado hit a leadoff drive in the second inning of a 3-2 victory
over the Rockies in Scottsdale. The eight-time All-Star was acquired
in a trade with St. Louis in January.
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.
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Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami, of Japan, connects for a
two-run double against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning of
a spring training baseball game Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Mesa,
Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Murakami, who started at first base, got his first
hit when he drove a 91.9 mph sinker from Connor Schultz the middle
in the third inning. The one-out single had a 108.3 mph exit
velocity.
With one out and the bases loaded in the fourth, Murakami hit a
drive to center off Porter Hodge. Cubs center fielder Seiya Suzuki
lost the ball in the sun, and it landed on the back of the warning
track for a two-run double.
“I’m really happy how it went, without any injuries,” Murakami said.
“I had butterflies inside me the first few minutes of it. But after
I started fielding and I got an at-bat, I felt a bit more
comfortable and felt myself.”
Murakami and Suzuki are going to play together for Team Japan in the
World Baseball Classic, and the two talked in the offseason about
what it's like to play in Chicago.
“I loved him, but after the popup, I hate him. So I’m not going to
support him," Suzuki joked through a translator.
Murakami looked at a called third strike in his final at-bat in the
sixth. He was replaced in the field before the bottom half of the
inning.
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.”
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