Munetaka Murakami showcased his power with his 30th home run during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. The two-run homer tied Murakami with teammates Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery, momentarily sharing the team lead in home runs.
Montgomery quickly took sole possession with a solo shot in the same inning, marking his 31st of the year. Despite the early fireworks, the Chicago White Sox couldn’t hold their lead, losing 6-4 to the Twins in front of 27,749 fans at Rate Field.
“Obviously I’m really happy about getting 30, but moreover it’s we lost the game,” Murakami expressed via an interpreter. “So that’s very much disappointing. We hope we can win one tomorrow.”
Ryan Jeffers provided a crucial three-run homer in the fifth inning for the Twins, securing their victory. White Sox starter Anthony Kay reflected on his performance.
“The team hands you a 3-0 lead in the first inning, you want to hold on to that,” said Kay. “And obviously I didn’t do my job with that tonight and going to have to figure it out.”
Though Chicago fell to 74-68, they maintained a 2½-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central. The Guardians suffered a 6-0 defeat to the Detroit Tigers, leaving the Twins six games back. The home runs by Murakami and Montgomery initially gave the Sox a 3-0 advantage.
White Sox manager Will Venable praised the trio of players, emphasizing their contribution to the lineup’s strength.
“Obviously all these guys have done a great job really throughout our lineup. To have three guys in the middle of your lineup that have 30 homers, it means a lot,” Venable commented.
Murakami’s rookie season places him among notable Sox history, joining Eloy Jiménez, José Abreu, and Ron Kittle as rookies with 30-plus homers.
The Twins didn’t relent after initial setbacks. During the fourth inning, they reduced the deficit to 3-2 after loading the bases against Kay. Ryan Jeffers’ homer in the fifth inning shifted the game, leaving Kay with five runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. Minnesota extended their advantage to 6-4 with Kaelen Culpepper’s RBI double in the seventh.
The Sox managed runners on in the seventh and eighth but couldn’t capitalize, leaving the final score at 6-4.
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