Murakami and Romo Go Deep, Nishida Makes His Debut, White Sox Beat Twins 3-1

CHICAGO — Munetaka Murakami hit the first pitch of his at-bat to right field for his 18th home run of the season. Drew Romo followed in the second inning with a two-run shot of his own. And in right field on a sunny Memorial Day afternoon at Rate Field, a 25-year-old from Osaka in his first major league game threw out a runner at the plate and got a standing ovation from the crowd.

The White Sox beat Minnesota 3-1 Monday to open their homestand, and it wasn't close after the second inning.

The First Two Innings Did It

Brooks Lee led off the top of the first with a 386-foot homer to left off Anthony Kay and the Twins had a 1-0 lead before the Rate Field crowd had settled in. It lasted about four minutes.

Murakami stepped in and sent a Zebby Matthews fastball 375 feet to right to tie it. It was his first homer since May 16, and the first time in nine days the White Sox lineup had seen him go deep. One pitch, one swing, back to even.

Romo took care of that in the next inning. Tristan Peters reached, and Drew Romo — batting .196 heading into the day — turned on a Matthews fastball and drove it 352 feet to right for a two-run shot. Romo's fifth homer of the season. White Sox led 3-1, and they never looked back.

Matthews struck out six and was otherwise efficient across his six innings. He just ran into two swings that found the seats.

Kay Does the Job

Anthony Kay was sharp. He gave up Lee's first-inning homer and not much else — five hits total, one walk, five strikeouts, six innings, 94 pitches. His ERA dropped from 4.27 to 3.96. He's 4-1.

The Twins had chances. They left eight runners on base and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Every time Minnesota threatened, Kay found a way through. Byron Buxton doubled, Jackson doubled, Arcia singled — but the runs didn't follow. Grant Taylor, Brandon Hudson, and Sergio Domínguez handled the final three innings without allowing a run. Domínguez struck out two in the ninth for his 11th save. But, not without drama. A close challenge call by Romo to get the first K. A single to Center field, and sox fans were nervous to say the least.

Kay and Murakami both spent time in Japanese baseball before arriving on the South Side — Kay won the Japan Series with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in 2024, Murakami starred for the Yakult Swallows for eight years. On Monday, the lineup featured a third former NPB product.

The Guy in Right Field

Rikuu Nishida was all smiles in the clubhouse before the game and all business once it started.

The White Sox put him in right field for his major league debut, batting ninth against a right-handed pitcher. He's 25, from Osaka, and he wears No. 51 as a tribute to Ichiro Suzuki. When asked about Ichiro, he said he can't even bring himself to call him by his first name. "He's a legend," Nishida said. "I can't put into words how much he means to me."

His first at-bat was a strikeout. Then in the second inning, with Orlando Arcia trying to score from second on an Alex Jackson single, Nishida fielded the ball in right and threw a strike to the plate to cut him down. Rate Field erupted. He got the single he needed for his first career hit in the fourth inning.

He is, according to Sportradar, the ninth Japan-born player to be drafted by an MLB team and appear in a major league game. The first eight appear to be American citizens. Nishida is the first with a Japanese surname and given name on that list — a footnote he acknowledged and then quickly set aside. "There's not a lot of meaning into it," he said, "because I'm just the first person in the books."

He hit .347 with a .454 on-base percentage at Triple-A Charlotte this season in 33 games. He's stolen 15 bases in 44 games across levels. He doesn't hit for power. He gets on base and he moves. He's exactly what this team was looking for off the bench and in the outfield, and his arm already made an argument for keeping him around.

Seven Straight

The White Sox have now won seven consecutive games against the Twins — the longest such streak since Chicago won eight in a row against Minnesota in 1995. It's the kind of in-division dominance that matters in a tight AL Central race. Cleveland still leads by 3.5 games, but the White Sox are 27-26 and pointing in the right direction after a 2-4 road swing that could have done more damage to the season than it did.

What's Next

The White Sox and Twins play again Tuesday night at Rate Field. Sean Burke (2-3, 4.08 ERA) starts for Chicago opposite J. Ryan (3-3, 3.02 ERA) for Minnesota. First pitch is 6:40 p.m. Central.