The Chicago White Sox are just one win away from taking their American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians. Chicago rookie Munetaka Murakami is opening up about his manager, Will Venable. Murakami is grateful for Venable's leadership during the postseason.
“I just love him as a person and I'm really happy he's my manager,” Murakami said, per MLB.com.
The White Sox have been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season. Chicago reached the Major League Baseball Playoffs, after several years of 100-loss seasons.
Murakami is a big reason why. The Japanese slugger, who signed with Chicago before the 2026 season as a free agent, has been excellent. He posted 35 home runs and 77 RBIs during the regular season.
During the postseason, Murakami has one home run and four RBIs.
Will Venable loves leading the White Sox
It has been many years since Chicago's South Side team looked this good. The White Sox manager is revealing one of the reasons why he thinks this team is having so much success.
“When you look at the identity of our club, it's really an underdog mentality,” Venable said, per MLB.com. “You’ve got a lot of guys who weren’t top picks and really have kind of a chip on their shoulder. They want to go out and prove that they not only belong in this league but that they're good players. So that really feeds into our team identity.”
Article Continues BelowChicago is now just one win away from reaching the ALCS. The White Sox haven't won the World Series since 2005. The club hasn't made the World Series since that same year.
“We’ve got an unbelievable group. They believe, they buy in. It’s been fun building this all together with good people,” White Sox assistant general manager Josh Barfield said.
The White Sox play Game 3 of the ALDS against the Guardians on Wednesday. Chicago already eliminated the Houston Astros from the postseason.