MESA, Ariz. -- Sam Antonacci swiped the spotlight from Munetaka Murakami during the White Sox 8-1 victory over the Cubs on Friday.
Murakami understandably drew the main portion of the focus with his White Sox debut during the team’s 2026 Cactus League opener. But Antonacci, the left-handed-hitting second baseman with a propensity to get on base after being hit by a pitch 35 times last season in the Minors, had the biggest highlight with his Statcast-projected 417-foot, two-run home run off Jameson Taillon.
Antonacci added extra emphasis to that home run with a noticeable bat flip following his connection on the no-doubter to right.
“Yeah, a little bit,” said Antonacci, when asked if he immediately knew it was a home run. “Kind of reality hit there, and being able to produce for my team felt good.”
“That ball was crushed,” said White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon of his run support. “I kind of missed the swing, but I heard it and I was like, ‘Oh,’ and that ball was gone before I even could turn around. He’s a really good player and obviously has a ton of pop, so definitely excited to see him continue to play.”
There won’t be a great deal of time for the non-roster invite to prove himself at White Sox camp, as he’ll be joining catcher Kyle Teel with Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. But with 48 stolen bases and a .433 on-base percentage over 519 plate appearances last season, Antonacci isn’t a surprise to anyone in the organization.
“Honestly, just the same mindset going forward,” said Antonacci, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the White Sox No. 11 prospect. “Just continue to master my routine and to help my team and be a good teammate.”
“It was amazing,” said White Sox manager Will Venable of Antonacci, who also picked up a stolen base. “You see kind of the look in his eye when he's out there competing. It's just a fierce competitor and obviously some good swings, some good at-bats, some good defense. Good first day out here for Sam."
Cannon fodder for success
Cannon, who is battling for the one or two spots open in the White Sox rotation, was happy with his effort Friday. He allowed one run over 1 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking one. He was touched up on Seiya Suzuki’s home run in the first.
“Wanted to work on the two fastballs, sinker and four-seam,” Cannon said. “That’s kind of been a point of emphasis this spring, working on that sinker and kind of using both of those fastballs. And then just kind of dialing back in the offspeed command.
“I thought that could be better, that was just kind of the point of improvement going forward, could definitely be more in the zone a little bit more. But overall, I thought it was good, a lot to build off of, long spring ahead.”
Pereira scratched
Outfielder Everson Pereira was scratched from Friday’s starting lineup with tightness on his right side. Pereira has earned plaudits for barreling up the baseball during the start of Spring Training, but he was listed as day to day by Venable.
“Good, just a little soreness,” Venable said. “Just really precautionary. Wanted to make sure we didn't put him in a tough spot.”
Baseball is back
The excitement of baseball returning for the 2026 season was summed up well by Cannon.
“Great to be back out on the field,” Cannon said. “I was joking today, it felt like Christmas morning. First game, fans back in the seats, that flyover was fricking awesome, and so it was just good to get back out there.”
That’s right, there was a flyover prior to Friday’s first pitch.
“I was shocked,” said a smiling Cannon. “I was standing out there, like, ‘Holy cow, we’ve got a flyover today, that’s awesome.’”