2 hours ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

Mune with the Kawasaki tribute

Such a great fucking reference for Mune to drop.

Now I need him to say "A monkey never cramps."

Who was the last Sox to crack top 20 in jersey sales for a season?

15 minutes ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

Who was the last Sox to crack top 20 in jersey sales for a season?

Maybe Frank Thomas?

26 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Maybe Frank Thomas?

I would guess more recent than that. I feel like Luis Robert that one year maybe.

2 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

I would guess more recent than that. I feel like Luis Robert that one year maybe.

Pretty sure TA was on the list for a minute.

1 minute ago, southsider2k5 said:

Pretty sure TA was on the list for a minute.

Yeah him. Idk why I forgot him lol but he's my guess now. I remember someone from that core being on that list.

Edited Friday at 07:18 PM4 days by Bob Sacamano

1 hour ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

Who was the last Sox to crack top 20 in jersey sales for a season?

Clevinger

On 9/24/2026 at 8:03 PM, Quin said:

Such a great fucking reference for Mune to drop.

Now I need him to say "A monkey never cramps."

I can't be the only one who has no idea what the reference is.

Now I know.

Munenori Kawasaki: The line famously originates from Kawasaki during his time with the Toronto Blue Jays, where his energetic, wholesome, and charismatic post-game English interviews—highlighted by his proud declaration of "I am Japanese!"—became an all-time sports meme. [1]

I dont think I ever heard of this either .

Edited Saturday at 04:29 AM4 days by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

2 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

I can't be the only one who has no idea what the reference is.

9 hours ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

Who was the last Sox to crack top 20 in jersey sales for a season?

Wasn't there a surprising lack of Mune jersey's early in the season ?

56 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

I can't be the only one who has no idea what the reference is.

Now I know.

Munenori Kawasaki: The line famously originates from Kawasaki during his time with the Toronto Blue Jays, where his energetic, wholesome, and charismatic post-game English interviews—highlighted by his proud declaration of "I am Japanese!"—became an all-time sports meme. [1]

I dont think I ever heard of this either .

Mune cites his sources:

Murakami's last 10 batted ball events have an average exit velo of 103.04 mph

17 minutes ago, Whisox05 said:

I don’t believe this. He’s just always been streaky and now he’s getting hot again.

can he hit 5 more bombs in 2 games?

I doubt he's really "back" but maybe he can get hot at just the right time.

11 minutes ago, nrockway said:

I don’t believe this. He’s just always been streaky and now he’s getting hot again.

can he hit 5 more bombs in 2 games?

I'll settle for 2 in the next 2 and 3 in the playoff series.

On 9/26/2026 at 3:13 AM, Bob Sacamano said:

I would guess more recent than that. I feel like Luis Robert that one year maybe.

Jose Abreu ?

16 hours ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

Wasn't there a surprising lack of Mune jersey's early in the season ?

Judge being ahead of PCA while sitting for most of the season is something...

(No Caminero/Yordan Alvarez.)

Wonder how much is reflected by attendance/in-stadium sales versus everywhere else?

Most Popular MLB Player Jerseys of 2026 ... 20, ***this is also the first season that three MLB Players from Japan have their jerseys in the top 20.***

Ohtani #16 WBC Team Samurai jersey is a huge seller as well, but obviously #1 in JPN...

Edited Saturday at 09:33 PM3 days by caulfield12

On 9/25/2026 at 10:22 PM, Quin said:

Mune cites his sources:

I did see this ! After the recent game in the post game show I think.

18 hours ago, Green Line said:

I doubt he's really "back" but maybe he can get hot at just the right time.

He's still a rookie in MLB subject to the ups and downs of that time in your career. He missed a lot of time and then was thrust into the HR Derby right away.

Both of those things have been known to mess up a swing as finely tuned as Murakami's . If you do indeed hate to be right then don't cling to your narrative. He could have had 40-45 HR's if he didn't get hurt and if he was healthy the HR Derby maybe doesn't mess up his swing. He could've been even better instead of going into such a long slump. They desperately need what he provides and should make every effort to resign him.

Tell me what , in your opinion, would Murakami have to do to be considered "back" ?

4 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

He's still a rookie in MLB subject to the ups and downs of that time in your career. He missed a lot of time and then was thrust into the HR Derby right away.

Both of those things have been known to mess up a swing as finely tuned as Murakami's . If you do indeed hate to be right then don't cling to your narrative. He could have had 40-45 HR's if he didn't get hurt and if he was healthy the HR Derby maybe doesn't mess up his swing. He could've been even better instead of going into such a long slump. They desperately need what he provides and should make every effort to resign him.

Tell me what , in your opinion, would Murakami have to do to be considered "back" ?

Uh, maybe be a good player again and not the second worst in the MLB? (After Colson.

talk about clinging to a narrative, trying to use the HR derby to excuse historic suckage

12 minutes ago, Green Line said:

Uh, maybe be a good player again and not the second worst in the MLB? (After Colson.

talk about clinging to a narrative, trying to use the HR derby to excuse historic suckage

That's not my narrative though. It's a narrative that is perhaps coincidental but nevertheless happens to HR Derby participants. Throw in the injury along with it and and it seems like 2 really good reasons why he could've messed up his swing.

Not sure what historic suckage is. Please explain that and use some context please. I'm only asking you to define your parameters. Also please define a "good player" again. I don't see much strength in your opinion nor how define being back or a good player again. Would hitting .230 and slugging .500 bee good enough or does his K rate have to be better than a certain percentage ? Lay it all out for me bro.

I 'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you did some reading and you understand that the angle of his swing was found to be very different than what it was pre-injury and post injury/slash HR Derby. But just in case and for others sake here it is.

• The "Good" Period: Murakami's attack angle averaged 18.8 degrees, allowing him to cleanly square up the ball.

• The "Slump" Period: His average attack angle jumped to 21.5 degrees.

While a 2-to-3 degree shift sounds small to the casual observer, in modern baseball metrics, a jump of that magnitude mid-season is massive. It completely altered his swing tilt into an extreme "uppercut" path. This change caused his squared-up contact rate to plummet from over 21% down to a meager 12%, explaining the sudden rise in high fly outs and strikeouts.

54 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

That's not my narrative though. It's a narrative that is perhaps coincidental but nevertheless happens to HR Derby participants. Throw in the injury along with it and and it seems like 2 really good reasons why he could've messed up his swing.

Not sure what historic suckage is. Please explain that and use some context please. I'm only asking you to define your parameters. Also please define a "good player" again. I don't see much strength in your opinion nor how define being back or a good player again. Would hitting .230 and slugging .500 bee good enough or does his K rate have to be better than a certain percentage ? Lay it all out for me bro.

I 'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you did some reading and you understand that the angle of his swing was found to be very different than what it was pre-injury and post injury/slash HR Derby. But just in case and for others sake here it is.

• The "Good" Period: Murakami's attack angle averaged 18.8 degrees, allowing him to cleanly square up the ball.

• The "Slump" Period: His average attack angle jumped to 21.5 degrees.

While a 2-to-3 degree shift sounds small to the casual observer, in modern baseball metrics, a jump of that magnitude mid-season is massive. It completely altered his swing tilt into an extreme "uppercut" path. This change caused his squared-up contact rate to plummet from over 21% down to a meager 12%, explaining the sudden rise in high fly outs and strikeouts.

I'm not your bro. And no I'm not going to do any of that, you haven't proven anything. If you think Murakami's swing is going to correct itself and he's going to return to form (whatever form means for someone who has only had 2 successful months in the MLB), then great!! We both want that. I just doubt it, but he's going to be on the team next year regardless, so the question is what kind of extension he gets, if any. Not sure why you need me to agree with you.

18 minutes ago, Green Line said:

I'm not your bro. And no I'm not going to do any of that, you haven't proven anything. If you think Murakami's swing is going to correct itself and he's going to return to form (whatever form means for someone who has only had 2 successful months in the MLB), then great!! We both want that. I just doubt it, but he's going to be on the team next year regardless, so the question is what kind of extension he gets, if any. Not sure why you need me to agree with you.

Not sure why you're so testy. It's baseball talk . Not asking you to agree with me just to support your theory. I supported mine with facts and modern metrics. You supported yours with historic suckage which you either can't or refuse to define. That's basically the definition of meatball theory fandom, using only hyberbole to support your unqualified observations. I see it therefore it is. Your bluster is all you got.

On 8/27/2026 at 1:38 PM, caulfield12 said:

Kaima Taira. Position: Pitcher. Bats: Left • Throws: Right. 5-8, 209lb (173cm, 94kg). Born: November 15, 1999

That would be the shortest MLB starter since Marcus Stroman at 5'7".

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2026/09/14/baseball/japanese-baseball/kaima-taira-npb-data/

Best pitcher statistically in Japan this year

Can start high leverage relieve and even close

"Kaima Taira has been brilliant in whatever role he’s been deployed in throughout his career, bouncing from closer to a legitimate starter in NPB. He has flourished by keeping his pitch mix expansive even in a relief role, and his desire to start is well known. This season, he’s been arguably the best pitcher in the league."

"That means he just qualified as a starter by passing 117 innings; the next closest qualified starter to him in Pacific League ERA+ is Koki Kitayama at 165. Taira’s 230 ERA+ is absurd right now with a 1.46 ERA. Across all of NPB, Shoki Murakami leads the Central League at 170 ERA+. Taira has been as good as it gets, especially when considering the hype Livan Moinelo generated with a 210 ERA+ in 2025."

Prospects Live

Kaima Taira NPB Scouting Report

Brandon Tew provides scouting reports and analysis on his top 5 NPB Starting Pitchers.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by caulfield12