How to Watch Munetaka Murakami in the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby

On Monday night in Philadelphia, Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami will participate in the MLB Home Run Derby.

In doing so, he will become the seventh different player in franchise history to compete in the event, marking the eighth overall appearance by a White Sox player.

Frank Thomas is the only player to represent the White Sox in the Home Run Derby more than once. He participated in 1994 at Three Rivers Stadium, then returned the following year at The Ballpark in Arlington, where he took home the crown.

Murakami will now look to join Thomas as a White Sox first baseman to win the Home Run Derby title.

Murakami will also become just the second Japanese-born player to participate in the MLB Home Run Derby, joining Shohei Ohtani, who competed in 2021.

For any White Sox (or Munetaka Murakami) fans who want to tune in on Monday night, make sure you have your Netflix subscription taken care of.

The 2026 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby will stream exclusively on Netflix from Citizens Bank Park, with pre-event coverage beginning at 6 p.m. Central Time. The event itself will begin at 7 p.m. Central Time and will not be available on cable.

Murakami will be joined by Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals, Ben Rice of the New York Yankees, Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox, Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals, Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies, and Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies to round out the field.

His 20 home runs this season are tied for the second fewest in the group, ahead of only Caglianone, who has 15, and even with Contreras. But, of course, Murakami missed more than a month of the season while on the IL dealing with a hamstring strain. Had he remained healthy, he likely would be much closer to Schwarber (32) and the rest of Major League Baseball's home run leaders.

As a left-handed hitter, Murakami may have a slight advantage due to the deep left-center alley at Citizens Bank Park. With the right-field corner sitting just 330 feet from home plate, Murakami should have little trouble accessing his tremendous pull-side power. 

The new format, which is swing based and removes the timer, gives Murakami the luxury of being selective with his pitches. It should also allow for more tape measure shots and, much to the delight of White Sox fans, be slightly less strenuous on his body. 

Only Schwarber (+300) and Caminero (+400) have better odds to win the Derby than Murakami (+500), according to DraftKings Sportsbook

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