Munetaka Murakami, Grant Taylor deliver more postseason magic for White Sox as they shut down Guardians in ALDS Game 1

Murakami fielded questions from local Chicago media, his personality shining through with each answer. Asked what makes him such a dangerous hitter , Murakami gave his interpreter, Kenzo Yagi, a break and grinned.

"Power," he said in English. "Power," he repeated, his smile growing. "I have power."

Thirty-five regular-season homers later — two of them on his bobblehead day — Murakami arrived in October as the biggest name on the most unlikely of postseason teams. His was a rookie season to remember, a transformative campaign that helped elevate the White Sox from a rebuilding club with 1% preseason playoff odds to a legitimate contender in the wide-open American League. And in Chicago's 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in ALDS Game 1 on Saturday, Murakami authored his first signature October moment, with a riveting swing that reminded the 34,287 at Progressive Field and anyone watching around the globe of his defining trait: Power.