Autumn Dreamin

109.5mph 417ft on that Antonacci bomb

Tough bat flip from Antonacci 😤

Not bad for a senior citizen

Schweitzer and Franklin expected to pitch today

Nevermind, I guess he made it

Mune spoke to a media little before today's game. Said he's not too familiar with the crosstown rivalry but wants to learn. Teammates, coaches, etc. have made him feel really welcome and comfortable. Specifically shouted out Vargas as working closely with him and being available to give advice. He says the biggest adjustment is the timing/tempo both at the plate (pitch clock, higher velo) and on defense. He got asked about how he feels physically given how much he's been practicing (Shomon has mentioned he's a guy you have to coax out of the cages for a break rather than having to prod him into more work), and he said he feels good. He was reportedly lobbying to play in every ST game before he leaves, but today said he's expecting to play in around 5.

You don't agree with their strategy of trying to extinguish a fire sale halfway through? 😅 Twins not being able to cash out on Lopez and Guards not being able to cash out on Clase are both potentially high impact non-moves for the division power balance. Skubal could join that list soon depending on how that shakes out.

TJ confirmed for Lopez

One sleep until baseball!

https://www.mlb.com/news/new-pitchers-ready-for-marlins-to-call-pitches-from-dugout The Marlins will be calling games from the dugout this season, and the Giants and Rockies might follow suit. Kinda surprised there's not more consternation about it. Also wonder what it does to the trade value of pitchers/catchers who end up with no experience calling games. They can't use Pitchcom for it (yet?) so perhaps a savvy opposing team can find ways to quickly relay the calls to batters.

Another Sox laden front page at Sanspo, hyping up Mune's debut tomorrow

I love EQ. Like you said, really smart and dedicated. Comes across as so mature for someone not yet 23. I really value the game/pitcher management side of catching and I rate him over Teel there, so he'd get the bulk of games at C if it were up to me. But I won't complain about being a bit spoiled at the position. When it comes to ABS challenges, the MiLB data shows that catchers are comfortably the most accurate with challenges, batters are a bit worse, and pitchers are pretty terrible. Quero was good with them from both sides of the plate in AAA due to his plus zone recognition. Thought it was interesting he said he'd value them more as a catcher than a batter.

Hope he has a healthy year

FWIW re: sponsorships, in addition to that reported "third party" interest in helping with the clubhouse bidet situation, Boyer has already been to court sponsors, distribution partners, etc. in Japan and talked about a goal of "expanding the brand" there. Peaking into Japanese baseball Twitter/media gives a bit of insight into how popular Mune is, and having the Sox logo next to his face on newspaper front pages is an asset that's easy to see the value of. The short term deal made sense for both sides with how the market shook out, but if his game translates to MLB then I do think a good faith effort to extend him is likelier than not.

MLB players can't play in the early exhibitions, which is part of Mune's reason for staying in camp a few extra days. He isn't expected to play until the games in Osaka on March 2/3.

Sounds like the WBC guys (Murakami, Teel, Antonacci, Mead) will all be in the lineup for the opener to get them reps before leaving. Teel (and I assume Antonacci?) set to leave March 1 to join Team Italy

Fegan's interview with Mune is really worth a read. Here's an especially fun bit: https://soxmachine.com/2026/02/munetaka-murakami-wants-everyone-to-see-my-game Vengeance tour starts Friday: