1 hour ago, joejoesox said:

people are trashing this on twitter because they're insufferable losers, I think it's badass

This is absolutely fire. Dude is buying into the culture.

FWIW, from CST a few days ago

“It’s very early in the season and still the start of my contract,” he said. “I’m really happy where I am at the moment. I’m not looking too far ahead, but if that time comes and the White Sox obviously feel happy with me and want to extend me more, I’d consider that an honor and that would be a happy situation for me, as well.”

Why Mune sucks during day games:

(Kidding)

The boys definitely seem to be clicking. I don't know how to put a value on that but I think it helps with extension talks. Definitely a 180 from slapping each other in the clubhouse.

Schwarber has joined party now...new thread title?

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/astros-tatsuya-imai-returns-from-il-with-disaster-start-vs-mariners-era-now-at-924-040858209.html

Mune, the model breaker:

“He reached out to me and asked me about the city of Chicago,” said Takatsu, who pitched a season and a half with the White Sox in the early 2000s. “I honestly thought it might be the Cubs.” [...]

Many teams seemingly never even had his name on their board. Their models didn’t think his power-hitting prowess would translate. He’d be a three-true outcomes dud, with poor defense to boot. As a hitter, evaluators believed he’d be closer to a late-career Joey Gallo than a still-resurgent Kyle Schwarber.

But he doesn't care about your models:

“Obviously, there are a lot of critics that say critical comments … that are really something I ignore,” Murakami told The Athletic through his interpreter. “Because some people who do make critical comments, or have something to say against me, would be somebody who’s not really playing ball.

“I know who I am, and what kind of challenges I do face every single day. It’s just about proving to the doubters how much I can play in this league.”

When asked if, amid the lowball offers, he ever considered a return to Japan, Murakami was forceful in his response.

“No,” he said flatly. Going back was never an option.

Keller was in from the start:

“I think it’s safe to say,” he added, “even though we had earmarked interest; even though he was somebody that we talked about from the very beginning … I think everyone was a little surprised that the market had fallen.”

Keller had already bought his 11-year-old son a Murakami jersey while on a scouting trip in Japan. Late one Friday night in December, as he was putting his child to bed, Keller received a text informing him that he needed to get on a Zoom call.

His son, sensing the hour, the day, and the overall strangeness of a work call at that hour, knew something was up. After some prodding, Keller confessed that it was a call with Murakami.

“He was like, ‘Daddy, get it done,’” Keller recalled of a deal that was finalized the following morning. “I had an overjoyed 11-year-old on my hands.”

Lol:

Even as teams have become more and more desperate for the financial boon that accompanies employing a Japanese star, many were convinced he’d never be worth the money.

“I don’t think his offense is going to be able to make up for his defensive issues,” one National League scout said during Murakami’s free agency, on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely. “I think he’s going to run into some power. … It’s just a really tough puzzle piece to put into your major-league team.”

Mune again confirms his interest in staying:

When asked if he’d be open to signing an extension with the White Sox — who are expected to transition to new ownership in the coming years — Murakami said, “If they do offer something and feel that they would want me still, I would love to have that talk.”

The full article: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7274416/2026/05/13/munetaka-murakami-npb-mlb-success/

“If they do offer something and feel that they would want me still it is as much money as I am expecting, I would love to have that talk.”

Bit of a rough stretch for him, needs to lay off the junk early in the count. Him and Colson giving too many strikes away chasing last couple weeks. That said both are talented enough to get hot at any time again.

Murakami is teeing up business for the Sox and Chicago companies:

Chicago Sun-Times

How Munetaka Murakami is teeing up business for White Sox...

“As soon as we signed him we changed our thinking and moved our ticket sales targets up because we anticipated him bringing in more interest,” Sox chief revenue and marketing officer Brooks Boyer said

There's a Japanese fan who's been documenting their visit to Chicago this week on Twitter, and I'm so happy they got to see Mune's first multi-HR game

7 minutes ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

There's a Japanese fan who's been documenting their visit to Chicago this week on Twitter, and I'm so happy they got to see Mune's first multi-HR game

Shawon-o meter for Dunston his rookie year lol.

Had the craziest high school batting numbers of all time.

And best SS arm.

Turning these pitches into 2 HR and a BB is a pretty neat trick. And the middle pitch wasn't one of the HRs.

More on Keller scouting Mune:

"He had really dedicated himself to getting into better shape, to moving better on the baseball field and really making the most of his ability, which for years prior had stood out," Keller said, "because the NPB game is slightly different than the major-league game." [...]

"When you see a guy who’s genuinely liked, who’s taking care of his body and has the makeup and character to navigate the ups and downs of the game combined with significant talent, you start to get pretty excited," Keller told me. "I wanted to really study the at-bats and see what it looked like, and I felt comfortable telling Chris that we have a guy here who has big-time power, who’s going to have good at-bats, who’s going to walk. And, yes, that’s going to come with some strikeouts, but I think that the risk is a worthy endeavor."

Fuller was also in:

Chicago’s analytics department and director of hitting Ryan Fuller studied Murakami’s swing meticulously. They felt confident they could help him make the adjustment to big-league pitching. The White Sox's front office stayed in touch with Murakami’s agency at Excel and effectively sold the plan to owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

Satoshi Takahashi, the Sox NBP scout hired last year, reports from Japan:

Already, Takahashi is frequently sending Keller photos from Japan of people walking the streets in White Sox hats, something that never would have been prevalent in previous years.

Mune, on the clubhouse fit:

"People experience the differences, cultural or environmental, but for me there’s nothing about that," Murakami told me this week through his interpreter, Kenzo Yagi.

Despite the language barrier, he has found it easy to be himself.

"My teammates are really communicating to me a lot," he continued. "They listen very well, they talk very slowly, they open up with so much communication that I’m really comfortable making mistakes in English. I’m really happy that they have my back and that I’m able to be fully who I am in the clubhouse, and that’s why I’m really comfortable."

Vargas on Mune as a teammate:

"Right now, we don’t pick any language," Vargas told me. "We mix all three. My Japanese is not that good, but his Spanish is good. He tries and has a great attitude."

Quickly, Vargas got a sense of how much Murakami cared — about winning, yes, but also about those around him.

"He always comes and says, ‘Hey, good AB, how you feel? How do you look at this pitcher?’" Vargas said. "You got a tough day, he comes and says, ‘Hey, tomorrow, we got ‘em.’"

The full article: https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/inside-white-sox-pursuit-polarizing-npb-star-munetaka-murakami

I'm sure it's been said already but it is crazy to me how Murakami's finish and oppo stroke are near identical to that of Jim Thome. His first homerun yesterday is stylistically indistinguishable from so many homeruns I witnessed from Thome, it's uncanny. Murakami has been giving me Big Jim flashbacks all over the place right down to his post homerun finish, their follow-throughs are so similar, it's beautiful.

25 minutes ago, Kalapse said:

I'm sure it's been said already but it is crazy to me how Murakami's finish and oppo stroke are near identical to that of Jim Thome. His first homerun yesterday is stylistically indistinguishable from so many homeruns I witnessed from Thome, it's uncanny. Murakami has been giving me Big Jim flashbacks all over the place right down to his post homerun finish, their follow-throughs are so similar, it's beautiful.

Dang, that is similar. He's like Jim Thome minus the steroids.

Imanaga said he's noticed Murakami is so well integrated with the team that he can't pick him out of the group. Never standing off on his own, regularly chatting with teammates even without Kenzo nearby, etc.

Also these shirts have been going around the clubhouse: