Every time he hits a home run, ML's ransom goes up, one out of two hits and one in two games, and Murakami's time for 19 home runs in 38 games is approaching

Sep 11, 2025

Every time he hits a home run, ML's ransom goes up, one out of two hits and one in two games, and Murakami's time for 19 home runs in 38 games is approaching
Murakami, who hit his 19th home run of the season against Chunichi on the 10th, returned from injury on July 29 and has been hitting home runs in 38 games. Photo capture = Yakult Swallows SNS



Every time he hits a home run, ML's ransom goes up, one out of two hits and one in two games, and Murakami's time for 19 home runs in 38 games is approaching
If Murakami played in all 143 games at his current pace, he could have up to 70 home runs. Photo capture = Yakult Swallows SNS
The hot fire bat doesn't cool down.

Yakult Swallows' 'Monetaka Murakami (25) launched a cannon after four games. He hit his 19th home run of the season against the Chunichi Dragons at Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo on the 10th. He showed off his strength at first base with no outs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Chunichi left-hander Kanemaru Yumeto (22) hit a 150km/h fastball thrown at the ball count of 1B2S. He pushed a low-course fastball outside the strike zone and flew it over the left stand of Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo.

In his first at-bat in the second inning, he asked for a strikeout with a swing and miss. He was hit by a fastball of 152 km/h that hit the out course. I paid him back with a home run in the very next at-bat. Kanemaru, who was selected as the Japanese national team during his time at Kansai University, is a special rookie who joined the team with the first nomination of the rookie draft. He allowed two runs in six innings and became the winning pitcher. Murakami's two-run home run was the only run he lost.




He hit nine home runs in the last 11 games. He hit three home runs against the Hiroshima Carp on August 30. Three times, he hit Yakult's home stadium, Meiji Jingu Stadium, Baxrin. In an away game against the Yomiuri Giants on the 4th, he hit a grand slam and a two-run home run.

It seems that Murakami is watching the 2022 'Monster hitter' who hit '56 Home Run' to set a new record for the most Japanese in a single season. Murakami rewrote Japanese baseball history three years ago beyond legendary home run king Sadaharu Oh (Wang Jeong-gi, chairman of Softbank Hawks).

Every time he hits a home run, ML's ransom goes up, one out of two hits and one in two games, and Murakami's time for 19 home runs in 38 games is approaching
Murakami will challenge the major leagues through the posting system this winter. Major League scouts are flocking to Yakult games this season. Photo capture = Yakult Swallows SNS
He returned from injury on July 29 and recorded '19 Home Runs' in 38 games. In fact, the batter, who started the season at the end of July, looks at the home run with "20 home runs". He ranked third in home runs in the Central League. It was followed by Shota Morishita (Hanshin Tigers), the runner-up in this category. If you add one more home run, you will have 20 home runs for seven consecutive years. It's a phenomenal home run production capability.




This season, when he is about to enter the Major League, he started late due to injuries and rehabilitation. He made his first appearance on April 17, when he was injured in the first game. I came back after more than three months of rehabilitation. Murakami renewed his contract for three years to 1.8 billion yen at the end of the 2022 season. They agreed to advance to the Major League three years later with the Yakult club. This is the last year of the three-year contract.

He hit .292 (42 hits in 144 at-bats) in 39 games - 19 home runs - 37 RBIs. One out of two hits is a home run. He hit one in every two games. If Murakami plays 143 games at his current pace and all games, he can have 69.7 home runs. It's a simple calculation, but it's a record showing Murakami's fearsome home run pace.

Every time he hits a home run, ML's ransom goes up, one out of two hits and one in two games, and Murakami's time for 19 home runs in 38 games is approaching
Murakami reported a hit in his first game of the season in April. However, he was injured in the first game and had to go through rehabilitation for more than three months. Photo capture = Yakult Swallows SNS
Major League scouts are flocking to Yakult games these days. It is predicted that Murakimi's ransom could reach up to $200 million.




Murakami's time is approaching.



Reporter Min Chang-ki huelva@sportschosun.com



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.