The Chicago White Sox showed their strength without Munetaka Murakami, sidelined due to a hamstring injury. In a decisive 7-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers, Edgar Quero and Colson Montgomery each hit solo home runs. Andrew Benintendi contributed with a two-run home run. The match played out in front of 29,435 fans at Rate Field, marking the team’s fourth consecutive win. Now at 31-27, the Sox have reached a new seasonal high.
Sox manager Will Venable highlighted the team’s resilience, saying, “When these guys create a culture with energy, you hope it sustains when someone is missing, and they’ve done a great job at that. Today was a good example as they showed effort, played hard, and had belief.” Before the game, Murakami was placed on a 10-day injured list and could be out for up to six weeks. He leads the team with 20 home runs this season.
On Saturday, the Sox scored in varied ways, capitalizing on a brief period of wild pitching by Tigers’ starter Framber Valdez in a two-run first inning. Chase Meidroth opened with a double, and subsequent walks loaded the bases. Meidroth scored on a wild pitch from Valdez, with Vargas following on a sacrifice fly by Quero. Detroit’s Wenceel Pérez hit a solo home run in the third, narrowing the lead to 2-1. This was the only run allowed by starter Anthony Kay, who struck out three batters in over five innings.
Tigers had chances with runners on base both in the fourth and fifth innings but failed to score. Kay managed crucial groundballs to diffuse these threats. In the sixth inning, Matt Vierling singled, and Riley Greene’s fly ball, dropped by Grichuk, put two runners on base with no outs. Reliever Grant Taylor stepped in and ended the inning with a strikeout, flyout, and groundout.
Quero started the seventh inning with a home run, his second this season. Benintendi doubled, later scoring on Rikuu Nishida’s single, extending Chicago’s lead to 4-1. Montgomery’s 14th home run of the season came in the eighth, followed by Benintendi’s two-run homer.
Quero praised the team’s approach: “Playing hard every day, that’s our mentality now.” With Murakami out, the Sox called up Jacob Gonzalez, a 2023 first-round draft pick from Triple-A Charlotte. Though he didn’t play on Saturday, Gonzalez participated in team activities and expressed his excitement, “I’ve dreamed of this since childhood and I’m happy to be here.” Arriving late due to a flight delay on his 24th birthday, Gonzalez added, “Probably the best birthday so far.”
Gonzalez has excelled with the Knights, recording a .317/.419/.668 slash line, with 19 home runs and 62 RBIs in 52 games. He has mainly played shortstop but is open to various field positions. “I’ll play anywhere,” Gonzalez stated. “I grew up playing everywhere and am ready to help this team win games.”