Murakami Just Tied Judge With His 14th Bomb and the White Sox Are Suddenly Scary

Munetaka Murakami came into Monday night in a brutal 4-for-32 slump. By the time he left Angel Stadium, he'd tied Aaron Judge for the MLB home run lead and reminded everyone why the White Sox lineup is suddenly one of the most dangerous in baseball.

Murakami's 429-foot blast off José Soriano in the fourth inning landed in the center field greenery with an exit velocity of 109 mph. That home run was his 14th in just 35 career games, putting him third all-time in MLB history for homers in a player's first 35 games. He trails Rhys Hoskins (18 in 2017) and Aristides Aquino (15 in 2018-19). The long ball also tied him with Darrin Jackson for the most homers in White Sox franchise history.

The Whole Lineup Is Humming Right Now

This wasn't just about Murakami's power. The White Sox raked for 16 hits total in a 6-0 victory that showed exactly why they've turned it around. Third baseman Miguel Vargas hammered his seventh home run among two hits and had the best take on what's happening in this offense.

"Any guy can give you a really good at-bat, a single, an extra base hit, a stolen base," Vargas said. "That's our identity right now. The hustle on the bases too has been unbelievable."

Andrew Benintendi had four hits. Chase Meidroth added a single. The lineup is deep, dynamic, and relentless. Soriano entered his last two starts against the White Sox with just one earned run allowed over 37 2/3 innings. The White Sox shredded him for eight runs on 14 hits across those two games.

Dominant Pitching Makes This Team Real

Davis Martin threw seven innings of shutout baseball, struck out 10 (a career-high), didn't walk a single batter, and lowered his ERA to 1.64. Martin improved to 5-1 and wasn't shy about the vibe in this clubhouse.

"We're not hiding that we're having the best time," Martin said. "This is a group that in Spring Training we knew we could do something cool and feel like we were building toward something. Obviously we stumbled out of the gate, but I think we found our stride and found who we are as a team."

The White Sox are now 17-18 overall and 3-1 on this second West Coast trip. They're within a half game of the American League Central lead in a division where no team sits above .500. After a brutal 6-13 start, they've gone 11-5 since. That's not luck. That's a team clicking on both sides of the ball.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.