Bayern cruises to 4-0 win over Heidenheim to take 9-point lead into Bundesliga winter break

HEIDENHEIM, Germany (AP) — Harry Kane scored his 30th club goal of the season as Bayern Munich shrugged off an injury and illness crisis to sweep past Heidenheim 4-0 on Sunday and go into the Bundesliga's winter break with a nine-point lead.

Kane beat two defenders and hit a powerful shot in off the post for a stoppage-time goal which took him to 30 in 25 games in all competitions for Bayern this season, 19 of them in the German league.

“We know there’s a long way from now until the end of the season but we’re doing all the right things," Kane told broadcaster DAZN. "The belief is there, the team spirit is there, and that’s what we need to continue into the new year.”

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany named a bench packed with youth players after his squad was diminished by injuries to several players including captain Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich, a suspension for Konrad Laimer, Nicolas Jackson's absence at the Africa Cup of Nations and an illness affecting three players.

The starters made sure the game was under control long before any substitutes were needed.

Two defenders combined for Bayern's opening goal as Jonathan Tah headed a corner on for Josip Stanisic to nod in.

Heidenheim's fans called staying in the top division “our Christmas wish” in a giant banner shown before kickoff but their team didn't register a shot on target and goes into the winter break in 17th place in the 18-team Bundesliga.

Bayern's second goal was an extreme example of the defensive errors which have cost Heidenheim this year. Defender Patrick Mainka collided with his goalkeeper and the ball bounced around the box until Michael Olise finally jabbed it into the net.

Luis Díaz made sure of the win with a header off Stanisic's cross in the 86th before Kane made it 4-0.

Bayern hasn't lost to German opposition since March and has 13 wins and two draws from 15 Bundesliga games this season, averaging more than 3.6 goals per league game.

Borussia Dortmund is second, nine points off Kompany's team, with Bayer Leverkusen and Leipzig both three points further back.

Also Sunday, new Mainz coach Urs Fischer stayed unbeaten in four games in all competitions with a 0-0 draw with St. Pauli for his last-placed team. St. Pauli is 16th.

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St. Pauli's Joel Chima Fujita, centre, Mainz's Jae-sung Lee and Mainz's Benedict Hollerbach, left, fight for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between FSV Mainz 05 and FC St. Pauli, in Mainz, Germany, Sunday Dec. 21, 2025. (Torsten Silz/dpa via AP)

Bayern's Josip Stanisic celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Heidenheim and Bayern Munich, in Heidenheim, Germany, Sunday Dec. 21, 2025. (Harry Langer/dpa via AP)

Bayern's Michael Olise celebrates after scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Heidenheim and Bayern Munich, in Heidenheim, Germany, Sunday Dec. 21, 2025. (Harry Langer/dpa via AP)

Bayern's Luis Díaz, left, celebrates with Harry Kane after scoring their side's third goal of the game during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Heidenheim and Bayern Munich, in Heidenheim, Germany, Sunday Dec. 21, 2025. (Harry Langer/dpa via AP)

CHICAGO (AP) — The rebuilding Chicago White Sox added Munetaka Murakami to their lineup on Sunday, agreeing to a $34 million, two-year contract with the Japanese slugger.

Murakami, who turns 26 on Feb. 2, joins a promising group of young hitters that also includes Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth. The White Sox finished last in the AL Central this year with a 60-102 record, a 19-game improvement from the previous season.

Murakami gets a $1 million signing bonus payable within 30 days and salaries of $16 million next year and $17 million in 2027.

His 2027 salary can escalate based on awards earned in 2026: $1 million for winning an MVP award, $500,000 for finishing second or third in the voting, $250,000 for fourth through 10th and $250,000 for Rookie of the Year.

He can't be assigned to the minor leagues without his consent and will be a free agent at the end of the contract. He also gets a team-provided interpreter and flight reimbursement between Japan and the U.S.

Chicago owes a posting fee of $6,575,000 to Yakult, Murakami's Central League team. The Swallows also would receive a supplemental fee of 15% of any triggered escalators.

Murakami would become the fourth Japanese-born player to play for the White Sox, joining Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07) and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Takatsu managed Murakami in Japan.

Murakami, who bats from the left side, is slated to be formally introduced at a press conference on Monday.

Murakami was Central League MVP in 2021 and ’22. The corner infielder was limited to 56 games this season because of an oblique injury. He struck out 64 times, but he batted .273 with 22 homers and 47 RBIs.

Murakami hit 56 homers in 2022 to break Sadaharu Oh’s record for a Japanese-born player in Nippon Professional Baseball while becoming the youngest player to earn Japan’s Triple Crown. He topped 30 homers in four straight years before an injury-interrupted season in 2023.

He has a .270 career average with 246 homers, 647 RBIs and 977 strikeouts in 892 games over eight Central League seasons, all with the Swallows.

After playing primarily at first base in 2019 and 2020, he has spent most of his time since at third.

At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Murakami hit a game-ending double off Giovanny Gallegos that drove in Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a 6-5 semifinal win over Mexico. The following day in the championship game, Murakami hit a tying home run off Merrill Kelly in the second inning and Japan went on to beat the United States 3-2.

Under the agreement between MLB and NPB, the posting fee is 20% of the first $25 million of a major league contract, including earned bonuses and options. The percentage drops to 17.5% of the next $25 million and 15% of any amount over $50 million.

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

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FILE - Japan's Munetaka Murakami rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the second inning of a World Baseball Classic game against the U.S., March 21, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, file)