“Hello. My name is Munetaka Murakami.”

Sitting in front of the media, Murakami chose English for his first words as a member of the Chicago White Sox. He held up a pair of white socks and said, “White Sox!”—officially announcing his incoming. And reactions started pouring in from the get-go. And first from his childhood rival!

Kotaro Kiyomiya, who shared the same path as Murakami and is the Nippon Ham Fighters infielder, posted a throwback photo from their high school. Both of them had shaved heads and wore oversized uniforms. And he had one message for Murakami. One that was both firm and heartwarming.

“Murakami! Do your best! I’ll do my best too!”

The message struck a chord with the fans, who called the image simply precious and luxurious, and how two teenagers known only to hardcore followers had now grown into the face of Japanese football. They were rivals but also mates who rose together.

Kiyomiya’s message also carried extra weight, given his journey has not been easy. Injuries and criticism simply slowed him early. He broke through in 2022 and posted with 142 hits, the second most in the league–a career year.

Now, with Munetaka Murakami leaving for Major League Baseball, Kiyomiya is all set to become the president of the Fighters players’ association next year.

Also, support for Murakami came from Chicago itself, and this time from Cubs infielder Seiya Suzuki. He is fresh off a career-best MLB season, and he reached out to his countryman personally, saying, “Since you’re in Chicago anyway, come over to my place anytime.” He added, “I hope he somehow manages to do his best.”

From a childhood rival to a compatriot across town, Murakami has the support of everyone. However, one question still looms large:

Why the White Sox?

Why Munetaka Murakami picked the White Sox — And why the 9-figure deal never came? 

So, there were several teams interested in Murakami, from the Yankees to the Mets, the Phillies, and more. Everyone assumed that an elite Japanese slugger means a massive contract with a big market team? Instead, he chose the White Sox on a two-year, $34 million deal. So naturally the question is why did he do so, and why did the figure, which was rumoured to be a nine-figure deal, not pan out?

As far as why he chose Chicago, Murakami, speaking on the White Sox Podcast with GM Chris Getz, explained that the team’s youth was a major reason why.

“I feel there are a lot of exciting young players here. Just as my career panned out in Japan, I went to a team that was very young, and we got to the promised land of winning the championship there. I kinda feel something similar here, I feel like I’m destined to be here.”

He wasn’t chasing the biggest market– just the right situation. Even then, the contracts tell a darker aspect of things. He crushed 246 home runs over seven NPB seasons, but even the,n MLB teams had real concerns over him.

Murakami’s swing and miss numbers were unusually high, and so the question of whether he could manage in MLB came about. Then there were defensive doubts too, as most teams saw him as a first baseman only and others as a future DH. So the front offices stalled and got cautious, throwing a nine-figure deal out the window.

For the White Sox, this hesitation was an opportunity. They landed a 25-year-old with a new goal of wanting to prove something. And hopefully he can!