CHICAGO – It’s time for a White Sox power hitting roll call.
Munetaka Murakami, tied for the Major League home run lead with the Yankees' Aaron Judge at 12? Check.
Colson Montgomery, who homered during a 5-2 White Sox victory over the Angels on Tuesday at Rate Field, his eighth of the season? Also present.
And of course, catcher Drew Romo.
Wait, what?
Yes, the switch-hitting catcher went deep twice as the White Sox claimed the series victory with a second straight win. Not only twice, but Romo homered from the left side against José Soriano on a 0-2 pitch in the fourth and then from the right side in the sixth, becoming the first White Sox player to homer from both sides in the same game since Leury García on July 25, 2020, vs. the Twins.
“That doubles it,” said a euphoric Romo, who had both baseballs from both home runs. “One of the best days of my life.”
“[Pitching coach Zach] Bove and I were just grabbing each other, shaking each other super excited,” said Davis Martin, the White Sox starting and winning pitcher. “Everybody was super pumped.”
Those two blasts represented homers Nos. 1 and 2 in Romo’s career. They also represented Romo’s first hit since the 2024 season with the Rockies. Romo stands as the 13th player in White Sox history to hit each of his first two career home runs in the same game, and is the first of those since July 31, 2021, when Seby Zavala hit three. Zavala is the only player in MLB history to hit his first 3 career homers in the same game.
Romo also is the first White Sox catcher to accomplish such a feat and became the seventh player in MLB history to record his first career home run from one side of the plate and his second from the other in the same game. Yasmani Grandal on June 30, 2012, with San Diego was the last one to do so, while Grandal, Romo and U.L. Washington (Sept. 21, 1979) are the only three to do it in consecutive plate appearances.
This contest was billed as a pitchers' battle between Soriano, who came into the night at 5-0 with a ridiculous 0.24 ERA, and Martin, who entered the evening at 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA. Martin got the best of the battle, allowing one run on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven.
Soriano yielded three runs in five innings with six strikeouts. He had given up one run over 37 2/3 innings all season entering the game before facing the White Sox.
“You’re working on yourself, you’re making sure you’re doing what you need to do to be ready for the game,” Martin said. “But I think you’d be lying … You know who’s across from you on the mound.
“I knew I had to be somewhat perfect, but when your offense goes and gives you that kind of cushion in that situation, you want to reward them. All the credit goes to the offense and that kind of loosened me up to be able to go out there and pitch my game.”
If we are talking about White Sox home runs, let’s not forget Caleb Bonemer. The 20-year-old infielder, No. 3 White Sox prospect and No. 53 prospect overall, according to MLB Pipeline, homered three times for High-A Winston-Salem Tuesday, giving him 10 homers and 25 RBIs in 22 games.
Bonemer’s explosive feat came on the Minor League side, which can be expanded on deeper by White Sox director of player development Paul Janish when he speaks with the media before Wednesday’s series finale. The White Sox improved to 13-17 overall and are just two games behind the Tigers for the American League Central lead, with no teams in the division above .500.
Individual accomplishments are important and deserve to be recognized. But it’s all about the victories for this developing young team.
“Again, the kind of clubhouse we have, everybody is super excited for each other and everybody wants to see each other succeed,” Martin said. “And at the end of the day, if that leads to wins, that’s even better.”
“We won the game, which is most important,” said Romo, who prepared for Soriano by working against him on the Trajekt machine all afternoon. “Winning comes first, and after that I mean, so thankful, so appreciative. Everything it has taken to get here, all the ups and downs, incredible ride, an incredible journey.”