{
  "id": 11801788,
  "title": "Munetaka Murakami powers White Sox to victory in Game 1 of ALDS",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/munetaka-murakami-powers-white-sox-to-victory-in-game-1-of-alds",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-03T23:19:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Japan Times",
    "slug": "japan-times",
    "url": "https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2026/10/04/baseball/mlb/murakami-homer-white-sox-alds/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the first game of the AL Division Series, the Chicago White Sox secured a 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Japanese 26-year-old Munetaka Murakami, making his first postseason appearance, was the star of the game with a two-run homer off All-Star Parker Messick. Murakami's powerful 440-foot shot to right field in the fourth inning broke the deadlock and marked his 36th home run of the year. With Vargas' crucial rally, the White Sox took an early 2-0 lead. The Guardians' five pitchers pitched a combined three-hit game, but Murakami's timely homer proved decisive. In a separate game on Saturday, Los Angeles Dodgers' Tarik Skubal dominated over six innings, allowing just three hits in a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves in their NL Division Series opener.",
  "summary": "The White Sox have won three consecutive games to begin their postseason.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}