MILWAUKEE β The 2026 season lasted exactly one at-bat before it started to feel familiar.
Chase Meidroth launched a 417-foot leadoff homer β the first White Sox leadoff Opening Day home run in the live ball era β and for about 90 seconds, the South Side had reason to believe the new season might actually be different. Then Jacob Misiorowski struck out the next three batters, Milwaukee scored in six of the next seven innings, and the Brewers ran away with a 14-2 win in front of 43,001 at American Family Field.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| MIL | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - | 14 | 12 | 0 |
Smith Couldn't Survive the Second
Shane Smith's return to Milwaukee β where he pitched in the Brewers' minor league system before the White Sox selected him in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft β didn't go as planned. The 2025 All-Star and staff ace couldn't make it out of the second inning, lasting just 1 2/3 innings while allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks. The big blow was a bases-clearing double by William Contreras that gave Milwaukee a 4-1 lead and ended Smith's afternoon.
After Smith's early exit, the bullpen offered no relief. Sean Newcomb gave up two more in the fourth. Tyler Gilbert surrendered a 407-foot two-run homer to Sal Frelick in the fifth. Jordan Hicks was the worst of the bunch β four walks in two-thirds of an inning, including a bases-loaded free pass, as Milwaukee pushed the lead to 11-1 in the sixth. Jedixson Paez then allowed a three-run homer to Jake Bauers in the seventh. Only Jonathan Leasure, who tossed a clean eighth, escaped unscathed.
The final pitching line for the staff: six pitchers, 14 runs, 13 earned, 10 walks, and just three strikeouts. Milwaukee drew more walks than the White Sox recorded outs before the fifth inning.
Misiorowski Was Unhittable
On the other side, Misiorowski set a Brewers franchise record for strikeouts in a season opener with 11 over five innings, touching 101.1 mph. After Meidroth's leadoff blast, Misiorowski didn't blink β he struck out the next three hitters and never let the White Sox back in the game. He combined with four relievers on a four-hitter. The Sox struck out 20 times as a team and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, and Eddinson Pereira each struck out three times.
Murakami's Debut
The moment White Sox fans were waiting for came in the ninth inning. Munetaka Murakami, in his first MLB game, led off against Jake Woodford and sent a 384-foot drive to right field for a solo home run β his first big league hit. Murakami finished 1-for-2 with two walks in what was otherwise a forgettable afternoon. But the swing looked exactly like the one that produced 56 home runs in Japan in 2022. The power is real. It'll play.
Up Next
The White Sox and Brewers are off Friday before resuming the series Saturday in Milwaukee. Sean Burke (4-11, 4.22 ERA in 2025) takes the mound for the Sox against Chad Patrick (3-8, 3.53) for the Brewers.
Ugly day. Long season. The rebuild doesn't pause for one bad opener.