PHOENIX (AP) \u2014 Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami tied a Major League Baseball rookie record by homering in his fifth straight game, crushing a 451-foot shot to right-center field against the Arizona Diamondbacks for his 10th homer of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve run out of things to say,\u201d White Sox manager Will Venable said. \u201cObviously, he continues to put himself in a really good spot to take good swings on good pitches. He’s making great swing decisions, making a ton of contact and when he hits it, he hits it really hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He added: \u201cEven the singles he’s hitting are hard. The damage is incredible and it’s impressive to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
He is the 13th rookie in big-league history to go deep in five straight, according to MLB.com. The Japanese first baseman also tied the team’s franchise record, a mark shared by A.J. Pierzynski (2012), Paul Konerko (2011), Carlos Lee (2003), Frank Thomas (twice in 1994), Ron Kittle (1983) and Greg Luzinski (1983).<\/p>\n
Murakami’s two-run homer came off Diamondbacks reliever Ryan Thompson in the seventh, cutting Arizona’s lead to 10-7. His 10 homers are second in the big leagues behind Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, who has 11.<\/p>\n
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Murakami\u2019s 10 homers, eight coming on the road, are the most in MLB history by a Japanese-born player in his first 24 career games.<\/p>\n
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