Two weeks ago, the White Sox were 1-5 and heading back to Chicago after getting swept in Milwaukee. They've won three straight since β all at Rate Field, all against the team that represented the American League in last year's World Series. That's the kind of sentence that sounds made up. It isn't.
Davis Martin pitched six innings of four-hit ball, Miguel Vargas tripled home the first run in the opening frame, and the bullpen locked down the final three innings as the White Sox blanked the Blue Jays 3-0 on Sunday to complete their first three-game sweep of Toronto in 10 years. The Sox are 3-0 at home β their best start at Rate Field since 2004.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| CHW | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 3 | 8 | 0 |
Martin Set the Tone Early
Martin's outing was the best start any White Sox pitcher has had this season. He needed just 85 pitches to get through six innings, struck out six, walked two, and never let a runner past second base. Toronto went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position against him and the rest of the staff. The Blue Jays were shut out for the first time all year.
Through two starts in 2026, Martin is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA. He allowed three runs across five innings in his season debut at Miami β this was a step up in every way. He pounded the zone at 67 percent strikes, leaned on his ground-ball approach, and made VladΓmir Guerrero Jr. look ordinary (1-for-3, walk, no damage). The 29-year-old had a breakout 2025 season with 25 starts and a 4.10 ERA after returning from Tommy John surgery, and he's picking up right where he left off.
Murray's Debut β and the Play That Mattered
Tanner Murray made his major league debut at shortstop on Sunday, batting seventh. The 26-year-old was called up from Triple-A Charlotte after Everson Pereira went on the 10-day IL with a left ankle sprain. Murray went 0-for-2 at the plate β two pop-outs β before Colson Montgomery replaced him in the fifth. But his biggest contribution didn't involve a bat.
In the third inning, Martin loaded the bases with two outs on a walk and two singles. Addison Barger hit a grounder up the middle that looked like it might sneak through. Murray ranged to his left, gloved it cleanly, and fired to first to end the inning. That's the kind of play that doesn't show up in a box score but changes the shape of a game β Martin's scoreless line might not exist without it.
Murray, a former walk-on at UC Davis, was acquired from Tampa Bay in the same offseason trade that brought Pereira to the South Side. He had been hitting .304/.467/.609 at Charlotte with two homers in six games. He can play virtually every position on the field β everywhere but behind the plate β and that versatility is what got him the call.
Three Runs, All With Two Outs
The Sox scored all three runs with two outs, stringing together timely hits against a Blue Jays pitching staff that couldn't find the zone early. Eric Lauer lasted just two innings on 49 pitches β only 26 for strikes β walking three and surrendering two runs. He recorded zero strikeouts.
Chase Meidroth doubled to lead off the first inning, moved to third on a groundout, and scored when Vargas lined a triple into the left-field corner. It was Vargas's first triple of the season, and it extended what's been a quietly excellent series for the third baseman β he's hitting .276/.389/.552 through nine games.
In the third, Murakami drew a two-out walk and Lenyn Sosa β who came in hitting .118 β laced a double to left off Austin Voth to drive him in. Sosa's first extra-base hit of the year. In the fourth, Luisangel AcuΓ±a singled, stole second base (his fourth steal of the season), and scored on Austin Hays' two-out single to right. Three innings, three two-out RBIs, three different hitters. That's how you win without home runs.
The Bullpen Finished It
Bryan Hudson, Jordan Leasure, and Chris Murphy combined for three scoreless innings to close it out. Hudson allowed two singles in the seventh but escaped with a strikeout and some help from Leasure, who cleaned up the inning and pitched through the eighth. Murphy worked around a walk in the ninth for his first save of the season β and the second of his career.
In all, the White Sox pitching staff threw a combined shutout on 138 pitches β their first of 2026. Toronto struck out nine times and managed zero extra-base hits.
One More Debut Worth Noting
Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela also made his MLB debut, called up Saturday from Triple-A Buffalo after Alejandro Kirk went on the IL with a dislocated and fractured left thumb. Valenzuela singled in the first at-bat of his big-league career and finished 1-for-3 with two strikeouts. Kirk's absence has been felt β Toronto's catching situation cost them in Saturday's game too, when backup Tyler Heineman's throwing error blew open the eighth inning.
Up Next
The White Sox (4-5) open a three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday at 6:40 p.m. CT. Erick Fedde (0-1, 5.40 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago. The Sox are still a game under .500, but a three-game winning streak and a perfect homestand so far have shifted the mood. After a 1-5 start that included a walk-off loss on Opening Day and a series loss in Miami, Rate Field has been a different story entirely.