First "Rookie of the Month"! Munetaka Murakami hits eight home runs in May, matching Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani.

Japanese power hitter Munetaka Murakami, who plays for the Chicago White Sox, was selected as the AL's top rookie for May, making him the ninth Japanese player to win this award, standing alongside icons such as Shohei Ohtani and Ichiro Suzuki.

In May, Murakami appeared in 26 games, recording 22 hits in 90 at-bats, including eight home runs, along with 18 RBIs and 21 runs scored. His monthly batting average was .244 with an OPS of .937. By winning Rookie of the Month, Murakami joins a distinguished list of Japanese predecessors that includes Ichiro Suzuki, Kazuhisa Ishii, Hideki Matsui, Hideki Okajima, Yu Darvish, Shohei Ohtani, Seiya Suzuki, and Shota Imanaga.

Murakami, who once hit 56 home runs in a single season in Japan's NPB, challenged MLB through the posting system last offseason, eventually signing a two-year, $34 million contract with the White Sox. He has already accumulated 20 home runs this season, but suffered a leg injury while running the bases in late May. He is expected to undergo PRP treatment and miss 4 to 6 weeks, with a projected return before the All-Star break.