PHOENIX -- With one swing, leading off the eighth inning of a 5-4 loss to the D-backs on Tuesday night at Chase Field, Jose Abreu made history.
The White Sox first baseman connected on a Jorge De La Rosa slider for his ninth home run of the season and, more importantly, his 100th homer over four seasons with the White Sox.
Abreu joined Minnie Minoso (135) and Alexei Ramirez (109) as the only Cuban-born White Sox players to hit 100 homers.
"First, I want to give thanks to the White Sox organization, because they were the ones who gave me the opportunity to play and reach this milestone," Abreu said through an interpreter. "It's something really special for me. It's something to really appreciate."
"I wasn't really aware of it until the guys started talking about it, but that's pretty cool," manager Rick Renteria said. "He's been grinding, been swinging the bat very well, obviously. It was a nice one, on top of bringing us a little closer in that ballgame."
Per Statcast™, the exit velocity of Abreu's blast was 104.4 mph, with a launch angle of 40 degrees. It wasn't the hardest-hit ball of the night for Abreu, who had an exit velocity of 112.3 mph on a third-inning single prior to Todd Frazier's home run.
"Now, I'm at this point where I feel very good and confident with my offense, and things are going well for me," Abreu said. "That's part of what you work for, and if you work hard, you know the results will be there at the end of the day."
A fan in left field threw back Abreu's home-run ball, which Abreu eventually exchanged for a couple of signed items. Abreu said the ball will go in a special spot in his house with the rest of his important memorabilia.
"I'm very thankful to all the people who have helped me to reach this milestone," Abreu said. "It's not something I did by myself."