Fighting Traffic And 'Butterflies,' Murakami Impresses In Spring Training Debut

Munetaka Murakami was a late arrival for his first spring training game with the Chicago White Sox.

Once he got to the ballpark, everything went pretty smoothly.

Murakami had two hits and two RBIs in his Cactus League debut on Friday. The Japanese slugger is learning his way around the major leagues after reaching a $34 million, two-year contract with the rebuilding White Sox in December.

The 26-year-old Murakami was momentarily removed from the starting lineup after he got caught in some traffic on his way to Sloan Park. But he arrived about 20 minutes before the first pitch and bounced to second base in his first at-bat in the first inning of an 8-1 victory over the Cubs.

"There was a big, big accident in the highway," Murakami said through a translator. "I was just concerned the whole time. ... To be really, really honest, I wasn't able to prepare fully, but I made it in time I think."

Murakami was part of a slate of debuts on the first day of spring training games. Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso and Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado homered for their new teams, and Alex Bregman went 0 for 2 while playing three innings in his first game with the Cubs.

"It was a great to be out here and play in a spring training game with the Cubs," said Bregman, who signed a $175 million, five-year contract with the team in free agency. "It was fun. Obviously super cool to have all that energy in the ballpark."

(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Alonso got a warm ovation before his first at-bat against the Yankees. He was robbed of a hit on Kenedy Corona's diving catch in the third, but he drove Bradley Hanner's first-pitch curveball deep to left for a two-run shot in the sixth inning of Baltimore's 2-0 win in Florida.

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