White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami’s hometown of Kumamoto, Japan, was hit by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake Tuesday that reportedly has killed at least 13 people and left many missing.
“I was really surprised and devastated by the news,” Murakami said through translate Kenzo Yagi. “The last earthquake I experienced was 10 years back. Obviously, it’s really hard to swallow. I was deeply in shock.”
Murakami said the area was just beginning to recover fully from the earthquake in 2016 that killed at least 50 people. He learned of the recent earthquake Tuesday morning and said he was able to contact all of his relatives, who are safe.
His parents, who threw out ceremonial first pitches Sunday at Rate Field, had planned to stay in Chicago through the Sox’ homestand but headed home Tuesday instead. Their home in the city, where Murakami was born, is fine. He was in high school when the last earthquake struck.
“It’s not like it flashes back,” he said. “It’s more the overall concern about the people and everybody who is affected by the disaster.”
Murakami said he hopes playing for the Sox can help keep people’s spirits up in his hometown.
“I always get a lot of cheers from everybody back in Japan, and that’s what gives me power to play baseball,” he said. “As a professional baseball player, I would like to give back by playing hard and something to cheer on for the people back in Kumamoto.”
Bullet train services and some airport operations remained suspended, and damage was still being assessed on the southern main island of Kyushu.
About 36,900 homes were still without electricity, 9,500 homes were without gas and communication networks were not working in some areas, chief government spokesman Minoru Kihara told reporters.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
