Munetaka Murakami has turned into a rare thing in Chicago: a rookie who is moving tickets, jerseys and even menu items before the summer is over. The White Sox signed the Japanese slugger to a two-year, $34 million contract last year, and the payoff is already showing up at the gate and in the team store.
Murakami entered the three-game Crosstown Classic series with the Cubs with 15 home runs, leaving him three behind Kyle Schwarber for the major-league lead. That kind of production has only fed the demand around him. Since the start of the MLB season, his home jersey has been the White Sox's top-selling product across Fanatics' network of retail sites, and Murakami jerseys now account for 57% of the club's team jersey sales. Thirty percent of those sales feature Japanese letters on the back.
The business side has followed fast. Special tickets for the July 12 game against the Athletics sold out immediately, with buyers set to receive a limited World Baseball Classic Japan team bobblehead in Murakami's likeness. The White Sox also plan another gate giveaway tied to him for July 26, a sign the club is trying to keep the momentum going well beyond one night at the ballpark.
That push extends outside the stadium, too. The White Sox introduced the Tonkatsu Dog at the beginning of the season, a Vienna Beef hot dog covered with Panko, Kewpie mayo, teriyaki sauce and Japanese bonito flakes. At Grandstand, a longtime local retailer, the team ordered hundreds of Murakami items in November and had to restock inventory after demand ran through the shelves. Its top-selling custom-made home pin-stripe jersey with Japanese kanji font costs $250, while a replica pinstripe white jersey in kanji starts at $164.99.
Brooks Boyer said the club moved its ticket sales targets up after signing Murakami because the interest came quickly. He said there has been a significant increase in interest in the White Sox from Japanese companies, and that the team is constantly in conversation with them. He also said the club is seeing more Japanese fans and people bringing Murakami signs to games.
The interest was visible at Rate Field on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, when Tyler Schweitzer pitched against the Royals and Murakami was watched from first base. Miguel Lozano, who helped stock the merchandise, said the club took a gamble on the player before it had even watched him play. That bet, for now, looks as if it has already paid off, not just in power numbers but in a fan base that is stretching from Chicago to Japan.
