‘April .152 with 1 home run → May .274 with 5 home runs’ Japanese monster hitter finally comes alive, “I knew it was a home run the moment I hit it”
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- on May 22, 2023
After mired in a severe slump, Yakult Swallows Munetaka Murakami, 23, has shown signs of life in May.
Murakami went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, two RBIs, one run scored and one walk while starting at third base against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars on May 21 at Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Yakult played in a 3-3 tie.토토사이트
Murakami, who won the Triple Crown while breaking the Japanese record for most home runs by a Japanese player last season by batting .301 (155-for-487) with 56 homers, 134 RBIs and a 1.168 OPS in 141 games, also played well at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, going .303 (26-for-66) with one homer, six RBIs and an .826 OPS in seven games to lead Japan to the title. He got off to a great start with a two-run homer in the season opener.
However, Murakami then went into a shocking slump and had his worst April ever. In 24 games, he batted just 1-for-59 (12-for-79) with one home run, 10 RBI, and a .541 OPS. After his worst slump, Murakami showed signs of life in May. In 16 games, he’s batting 2-for-7 with 17 doubles (in 62 at-bats), five home runs, 12 RBIs, and a .948 OPS, which is still not where he was last season, but it’s a big improvement.
According to Japanese outlet Full Count, “Murakami took an eight-pitch, 151-kilometer-per-hour fastball from Shota Imanaga, who played with him on the WBC team, and sent it into the stands in left-center field. Murakami was sure it was a home run the moment he hit it. “It’s my second home run of the season against Imanaga since the last five days,” Murakami said of his rebound.