What Munetaka Murakami's Slump-Busting Homer Did to the AL Central Race
Munetaka Murakami arrived at a late-September game mired in one of the worst stretches of his rookie season. MLB.com noted he was 5-for-52 with two homers and six RBIs in September and 20-for-154 since the start of August. The strikeout total over that longer span was 77.
With two men on base and Framber Valdez on the mound for Detroit, Murakami connected on a Statcast-projected 423-foot drive to center field. Chase Meidroth and Randal Grichuk scored ahead of him. The three-run homer, his team-leading 32nd of the season, gave the White Sox all the runs they needed in a 3-1 win over the Tigers at Rate Field, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Murakami also produced the first triple of his career in the eighth inning. Before that at-bat, he had helped end the top of the eighth by throwing out Brett Callahan. Callahan tried to advance from first to third on an infield hit by Max Clark. Murakami's strong throw to third arrived in time for Miguel Vargas to tag him.
The result shifted the American League Central race. The White Sox pulled into a first-place tie with Cleveland, with each team having nine games remaining. Chicago owns the tiebreaker because it won the season series 7-6. Their magic number for the division title is nine.
The win also strengthened Chicago's wild-card position. Boston came from behind to beat Texas, leaving the White Sox with a two-game lead over both the Rangers and the Blue Jays for the final American League wild-card spot. Chicago holds tiebreakers over both clubs.
Murakami, an American League All-Star as a rookie, spoke through an interpreter after the game. He said the best part was the team win and that he was relieved. The comment captured the stakes. A player who had been fighting his own swing since the start of August finally produced a game that mattered in both the division race and the wild-card race.