Murakami Tied for the Most April Homers in White Sox History and Chicago Just Won't Stop

Munetaka Murakami launched his 11th home run of the season into the Chicago night on Friday, and it's not just the home run that matters anymore. It's what it means: the White Sox are figuring out how to win games, and they're doing it in multiple ways.

Murakami's solo shot off Miles Mikolas in the fourth inning tied the game at 3-3 and kept the White Sox alive in their 5-4 comeback victory over Washington at Rate Field. The 415-foot blast, according to Statcast, knotted him with Yordan Alvarez for the Major League lead in homers. The 17,588 fans at the ballpark erupted, and Murakami felt it.

"I just wanted to live up to the expectations and try to give something back to the fans. I am really happy I was able to do that," Murakami said through interpreter Kenzo Yagi. "The fans were giving a lot of cheers and a lot of support from the crowd. I was very happy I was able to get one off."

Power Is Just One Weapon in Chicago's Arsenal Now

Here's the thing about Friday's win: it wasn't all about Murakami's bat. Manager Will Venable called them "little things, or winning things," and they showed up everywhere. Riley Cornejo made his Major League debut on the mound for Washington and walked Sam Antonacci and Luisangel Acuña. Then he threw away Tristan Peters' perfectly placed bunt, bringing home the tying run and setting up Andrew Benintendi for the go-ahead sacrifice fly. Later, after Brady House's solo homer tied the game in the eighth, the White Sox moved back in front on an Antonacci sacrifice fly, which followed a Miguel Vargas infield hit, Colson Montgomery's walk, and Edgar Quero's sacrifice bunt.

This is a team learning to win in different ways. "It's a blend of pretty much every type of player you can think of in an offense," Antonacci said. "You have the power, you have guys who can hit home runs, it feels like whenever they want. You have guys who can get on base, have guys who can bunt you over to move them on and then good pitching behind it as well. It makes us a hard team to beat."

Murakami's April Is Already Historic

With his 11th home run in April, Murakami is now tied for fourth in White Sox franchise history for the most homers in a single April at eight. Paul Konerko leads that list with 11 in 2010, followed by Jim Thome (2006) and Jose Abreu (2010) at 10.

The White Sox improved to 11-15 overall with Friday's win, which ended a six-game home losing streak. They've won five of their last seven games. Seranthony Domínguez picked up his sixth save, striking out James Wood to strand a runner on third.

General manager Chris Getz sees the shift. "More than anything, we go into a game each night with a chance to win," Getz said. "I think that signals that the White Sox are a better team, an improved team."

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