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Sports150 words1 min read

Murakami's Team Misses Playoffs as Chicago Baseball Fever Rises

group of players on field during daytime
Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash
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Listen to the story

Munetaka Murakami plays baseball in America. He plays for the Chicago White Sox. His team wanted to make the playoffs. But the team did not make it. Murakami got no hits in an important game.

Some Japanese media wrote about this. They said fans should not be too angry with Murakami. The story asked people to forgive him.

In Chicago, there was big excitement. Two Chicago teams, the Cubs and the White Sox, could both go to the playoffs. If both teams did well, they could meet in the World Series. This has not happened for 120 years.

Even a former president wrote online about the Chicago teams. He showed support for them. People in Chicago were very excited about this news.

But in the end, Murakami's team, the White Sox, did not win their division. This means they did not get an easy spot in the playoffs.

Vocabulary5 words

playoffs
important games after the season to find the best team
forgive
to stop being angry with someone
World Series
the last, biggest games in American baseball
former president
a person who was president before, not now
division
a small group of teams in a sports league

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Quiz

1. What team does Murakami play for?
2. What happened to Murakami in the important game?
3. Did the White Sox win their division?

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Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

Munetaka Murakami plays baseball in America. He plays for the Chicago White _____. His team wanted to make the _____. But the team did not make it. Murakami got no _____ in an important game.

Some Japanese media wrote about this. They said fans should not be too angry with Murakami. The story asked people to _____ him.

In Chicago, there was big _____. Two Chicago teams, the Cubs and the White Sox, could both go to the playoffs. If both teams did well, they could meet in the World _____. This has not happened for 120 _____.

Even a former _____ wrote online about the Chicago teams. He showed _____ for them.

But in the end, Murakami's team, the White Sox, did not win their _____.

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