He may have struggled at the plate, but Munetaka Murakami knows how to make the most of the locker room party.
With the Chicago White Sox ousting the Houston Astros thanks to a 7-3 win on Wednesday to sweep their AL Wild Card Series, Murakami and his South Side teammates didn’t hold back from celebrating the franchise’s incredible turnaround.
It’s the first time Chicago has won a playoff series since beating Houston in the World Series in 2005. Under the direction of Venable, the second-year skipper, and with a letter of support from Pope Leo XIV, the White Sox advanced to face AL Central champion Cleveland in the AL Division Series beginning Saturday in Cleveland.
The White Sox, who lost 100 games in each of the previous three seasons, are the only team in major league history to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth.
Murekami, who hit 35 homers and knocked in 77 RBI in his first season with Chicago, had just one hit and struck out five times in the two games against Houston. But that stop him from taking in the moment.
“It means everything for our fans,” Chase Meidroth said, who hit a three-run shot to seal Wednesday’s win. “They have been incredible all year. So the main thing was getting back to Chicago for some postseason baseball, and so we’re really blessed that we get to do that.”
“I’m proud of the guys and certainly happy for them as they’re probably the only ones in this country that believed that they could be in this spot,’ manager Will Venable said. “And they maintained that belief in the beginning of the season and went throughout the season maintaining that, and they made it happen. So it’s awesome to get to this point.”
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