Battling traffic and ‘butterflies,’ Murakami impresses in spring training debut

Munetaka Murakami arrived late for his first spring training game with the Chicago White Sox. Once we arrived at the stadium, everything went pretty well. Murakami had two hits and two RBIs in his Cactus League debut Friday. The Japanese slugger is learning his way in the major leagues after signing a two-year, $34 million deal with the rebuilding White Sox in December. Murakami, 26, was temporarily removed from the starting lineup after getting stuck in traffic while heading to Sloan Park. But he arrived about 20 minutes before the first pitch and bounced to second base in his first at-bat in the first inning of an 8-1 win over the Cubs. “There was a very big accident on the highway,” Murakami said through a translator. “I was just worried the whole time… To be really honest, I wasn’t able to fully prepare, but I think I got there in time.” Murakami was part of a roster debut on the first day of spring training games. Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso and Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado homered for their new teams, and Alex Bregman went 0 for 2 while going three innings in his first game with the Cubs. “It was great to be here and play a spring training game with the Cubs,” said Bregman, who signed a five-year, $175 million contract with the team in free agency. “It was fun. Obviously, it’s super cool to have all this energy in the stadium.” Alonso received a warm ovation before his first at-bat against the Yankees. He was robbed of a hit on Kenedy Corona’s diving third, but he pushed Bradley Hanner’s first-pitch curveball deep to left for a two-run shot in the sixth inning of Baltimore’s 2-0 win in Florida. Alonso hit 38 home runs last year in his final season with the New York Mets. He agreed to a five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles in December. Arenado scored the first goal in the second inning of a 3-2 victory over the Rockies in Scottsdale. The eight-time All-Star was acquired in a trade with St. Louis in January. Murakami hopes to give the White Sox a boost after losing 324 games over the previous three seasons. He hit .270 with 246 home runs and 647 RBIs in 892 games over eight years with the Yakult Swallows of the Japanese Central League. Murakami, who started at first base, got his first hit when he drove in a 91.9 mph sinker from Connor Schultz midway through the third inning. The one-out single had an exit velocity of 108.3 mph. With one out and the bases loaded in the fourth, Murakami hit a drive to center Porter Hodge. Cubs center fielder Seiya Suzuki lost the ball in the sun and it landed deep in the warning track for a two-run double. “I’m really happy with how it went, without any injuries,” Murakami said. “I had butterflies inside me the first few minutes. But after I started playing and got to bat, I felt a little more comfortable and felt like myself.” Murakami and Suzuki will play together for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, and the two spoke during the offseason about what it’s like to play in Chicago. “I loved him, but after the popup, I hate him. So I’m not going to support him,” Suzuki joked through a translator. Murakami watched a third strike called in his final at-bat in the sixth. He was replaced on the field before the bottom half of the inning. Manager Will Venable praised Murakami for pulling himself together after his struggles getting to the game. “This guy is so committed and so professional,” Venable said. “We’ve asked him to do some things that he’s not necessarily used to and the way he prepares and his adaptability and flexibility to do those things has been impressive. That ability to adjust gives you confidence that he’ll be able to go out there and make adjustments throughout the year.” Associated Press reporting.