Mune's big night puts White Sox back in first
This browser does not support the video element.
CHICAGO – Munetaka Murakami’s three-run home run in the first inning was all the White Sox needed in a 3-1 victory over the Tigers Thursday at Rate Field, their seventh win in 10 games this season against Detroit and fourth straight at home.
Murakami needed it in a big way. As did the White Sox.
By virtue of Murakami’s first-pitch, Statcast-projected 423 foot drive to center, the White Sox (78-75) reclaimed first place in the American League Central with nine games remaining. They are actually tied with the idle Guardians, who play host to the Athletics this weekend, but the White Sox hold the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of a 7-6 season series edge.
This left-on-left blast against Detroit's Framber Valdez pulled Murakami out of a prolonged slump dating back to the start of August. The All-Star, who has 32 homers and 68 RBIs on the season, was 5-for-52 with two homers and six RBIs in September and was 20-for-154 since the start of August with 77 total strikeouts. Chase Meidroth singled and Tommy Pham walked to open the first, but the Tigers had a chance to escape on Randal Grichuk’s one-out grounder to third baseman Kevin McGonigle, as Grichuk slipped a half-step getting out of the batter’s box.
But second baseman Javier Báez never made a throw to first, despite Grichuk still being four or five steps away. Murakami also picked up his first career triple with one out in the ninth.
This browser does not support the video element.
Erick Fedde allowed one run over 4 2/3 innings with six strikeouts, but it was Bryan Hudson who earned the victory with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. Hudson entered in the fifth, with two outs, Gleyber Torres on third and Dillon Dingler on second, and struck out Riley Greene with a 2-2 sweeper.
Dingler had a chance to do two-out damage against the White Sox with runners on first and second in the seventh. But Grant Taylor replaced Jordan Hicks and retired Dingler on a groundout.
The White Sox honored Tim Anderson, the two-time All-Star, before the game. The author of the ‘Stalk-off’ home run at the first Field of Dreams game in 2021 retired on Aug. 10.