Rikuu Nishida made a splash in his major-league debut for the White Sox, including a rocket throw to cut off a run at the plate, while Munetaka Murakami’s early homer and a steady pitching effort helped Chicago beat the Minnesota Twins 3-1 on Monday at the Rat
The first swing of the night set the tone inside the Rate. Munetaka Murakami was already in rhythm, launching his 18th home run in the first inning—an arching solo shot off Zebby Matthews to right field that ended a seven-game homer drought.
It tied the score at 1 before an announced crowd of 30,114.
Rikuu Nishida arrived a few days earlier from Triple-A Charlotte. and by the time Chicago needed a spark in the middle innings. he delivered one that could be felt immediately. After striking out in his first at-bat and going 1-for-3 on the day. Nishida still found ways to control the game from right field.
What made it stand out wasn’t just that he made plays. It was how fast they happened.
“It went really fast,” Nishida said in English in the clubhouse after the game.
In the top of the second. Nishida cut down Orlando Arcia trying to score from second on Alex Jackson’s single to right. Nishida charged the ball and unleashed a bullet to catcher Drew Romo—hard enough that Nishida’s left shoe fell off during the throw. Arcia danced wide and avoided the tag, but also missed the plate. Romo applied the tag for the final out before Arcia could dive back and touch up.
“I tried to find my shoes, and when I was looked up, (Arcia) was already out,” Nishida said, while also receiving a game ball from his teammates. The assist kept the game tied at 1.
Then Chicago made its lead stick.
In the bottom half of the second, Romo launched a two-run home run—his fifth of the season—to put the White Sox ahead 3-1. From there, the game turned into a test of execution, and the Sox answered with defense and bullpen calm.
Romo, speaking after the inning, didn’t hold back on what he saw from Nishida.
“Especially in his debut, to make such a good throw on the money like that, that was impressive,” Romo said.
Nishida kept stacking plays in right field. Among them: he made a catch against the netting on Austin Martin’s foul fly to end the fifth with two runners on. He raced in later to make the first out of the seventh on a looper by Luke Keaschall. On a shallow pop by Jackson with two outs. Nishida narrowly missed hanging on following a longer run and a diving attempt.
Jackson was credited with a double, but the threat didn’t grow. Reliever Grant Taylor struck out Byron Buxton to end the inning.
“It was hard to see (flyballs), said Nishida, who has played mostly at second base in the minors. “I feel like it was the first time I played in a big stadium like that, so it was hard to read.”
On the mound, Anthony Kay gave Chicago a steady base after a rough opening. Kay allowed a solo home run to Brooks Lee in the first, but settled in and won for the third time in his last four starts, moving to 4-1.
Kay finished with five hits and one walk, striking out five.
Over his previous four starts, he’d allowed five runs and 15 hits in 22 1/3 innings, trimming his ERA to 3.96 after it peaked at 6.11 on April 27.
“I knew I always had it in me,” Kay said. “Kind of a rough start to the season. Just having that conviction is massive.”
Against Minnesota, Kay leaned on his sweeper—one of six pitches in his repertoire—calling it his best strike pitch of the day.
“He said, “It was probably my best strike pitch today.”
The bullpen finished the job with no scoreboard surprises. Taylor, Bryan Hudson, and closer Seranthony Dominguez each threw a scoreless inning.
Dominguez pitched the ninth for his 11th save, but it didn’t start perfectly. He appeared to have walked pinch hitter Tristan Gray leading off, but the sixth pitch—originally called a ball—was overturned after Romo’s ABS challenge, and Gray was called out.
When the final out came, the White Sox had moved back over .500 at 27-26 and stayed in second place in the AL Central, 1 ½ games ahead of the Twins.
Minnesota had entered the game on a four-game winning streak and having won six of seven.
White Sox Twins Rikuu Nishida Munetaka Murakami Anthony Kay Drew Romo Seranthony Dominguez AL Central
So he threw so fast he lost a shoe? that’s honestly wild lol
I didn’t even realize Murakami had a homer streak starting back already. 18th in the first inning like ??? also White Sox can actually do stuff again I guess.
Wait, Nishida’s debut was like… a rocket throw to cut off the run, but then the guy missed the plate? I’m confused how a throw makes someone miss a base. Also they said Arcia was trying to score from second, like on a single, right? baseball rules are weird to me.
30,114 at the game and they still only won 3-1? Murakami hits early and then it’s just “steady pitching” after that… sounds like they got lucky. And that shoe falling off part had me like why was it even a thing, does he not tie his cleats tight??