Munetaka Murakami’s spring training debut was nearly delayed by traffic but he immediately delivered an explosive baseball performance upon arriving.

Murakami was originally set to make his Chicago White Sox spring training debut today at Sloan Park, nearly postponing it to tomorrow’s home game against the Mariners in the Cactus League.

About 30 minutes before the game in which the White Sox eventually beat the Chicago Cubs 8-1, it was announced that Murakami was temporarily removed from the starting roster for reasons other than injury. He was caught in traffic but would enter the game as soon as he got to the stadium.

Shortly after, Murakami returned to the starting lineup.

“Oh my god!” Murakami said in English, clenching his fists to indicate he was delayed by an unfortunate accident on Interstate 10.

“I was really worried about getting there on time,” he continued through translator Kensan Yagi, “There was a serious accident on the highway, and I was quite anxious. I actually stayed in the car until 12:50 (15 minutes before the game started).”

Once Murakami stepped onto the field, despite not being fully prepared to play, he quickly showed why the White Sox invested $34 million over two years in this Japanese free agent first baseman. In his first at-bat, he grounded out to second off Jameson Taillon, then followed with a line drive single, with a Statcast exit velocity of 108.3 mph.

In the fourth inning with the bases loaded, Murakami seized a four-seam fastball from Porter Hodge and hit a 408-foot fly ball to center field with an exit velocity of 105.5 mph. His close friend and soon-to-be Japanese teammate in the World Baseball Classic, Seiya Suzuki, retreated to the wall but lost sight of the ball in the sunlight, resulting in a two-RBI double.

Suzuki and Murakami share a close friendship, but this fly ball adventure humorously caused a brief “falling out.”

“After that fly ball, I hated him. So I won’t support him,” Suzuki said through translator Edwin Stanberry, then paused and added with a smile, “I’m just kidding.”

“You have to really appreciate Murakami,” White Sox manager Will Venable added, “This guy is very dedicated and professional. We asked him to do some things he might not be used to, and his preparation, adaptability, and flexibility have been outstanding.”

Murakami will rest tomorrow and do some live batting practice, then return to play against the Brewers next Monday. His goal is to participate in five Cactus League spring training games before the Classic.

Before today’s debut, he didn’t know much about the Cubs-White Sox local rivalry, but it helped him win the hearts of White Sox fans. Murakami also expressed gratitude for his teammates’ early support in helping him adjust.

“Definitely everyone on the team, every staff member, every teammate, coach, and everyone supporting the organization,” Murakami said, “Everyone has made me feel comfortable like I’m at home, and that’s why I can prepare so well.”

“Everyone knows he’s a great hitter,” said White Sox right-hander Jonathan Cannon, who started today’s game pitching 1.2 innings, allowing one run and striking out three, “So I think everyone is excited to see him keep improving, see his swings, and adjust his timing.”

Defense has always been a focus for Murakami, whether at third base (where he will play a few innings this week) or first base. In the second inning, during his first attempt at first base defense with runners on first and second, BJ Murray hit a grounder to the right. Murakami initially missed the catch but recovered and threw to Cannon covering first base.

Although he nearly hit a home run, Austin Hays and Sam Antonacci each hit homers off Taillon in the first and second innings respectively. Antonacci, ranked as the White Sox’s 11th top prospect by MLB Pipeline, impressed new teammates with a Statcast-predicted 417-foot blast accompanied by a noticeable bat whip.

“I want to try to imitate that as soon as possible. At first, I’ll try to keep it low-key and just get used to things,” Murakami said, then added in English, “Stay humble.”

“He’s a bit taller than I expected, I guess. Stronger too,” Taillon said, “I only threw him three pitches: fastball, changeup, changeup. I don’t really have scouting reports on him. It’s always interesting to watch a highly regarded player. I hope he succeeds here. Obviously, there have been many great players from Japan in recent years. He’s got the talent and the swing.”

Murakami also experienced American traffic jams, as did his head coach.

“It was crazy,” Venable said, “A major accident made us spend 45 extra minutes, but we all got here. Especially Murakami was stuck at the back, but he handled it well, came out, and played a great game. That was awesome.”