White Sox Trio Achieves Record in Victory Over Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Chicago White Sox trio of Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami, and Colson Montgomery achieved a notable feat on Friday. Each player homered in the same game for the fifth time this season. This accomplishment ties both the major-league and franchise records according to Elias Sports Bureau. This marks the tenth occurrence in major league history and the second in franchise history.

Munetaka Murakami expressed his satisfaction with their performance through an interpreter. He stated, “In the lineup, having three guys who can hit the ball really well is always a threat to the opposing team. So, we just want to continue that and contribute to the team’s win and keep going.”

Apart from the trio, Andrew Benintendi also hit a homer in the White Sox’s 6-1 win against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, attended by 20,661 fans. The feat mirrors the 2004 achievement by Sox groupings of Joe Crede, Paul Konerko, and José Valentín. Prior to this, the last major-league team to accomplish such a feat was in 2019 by Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, and Joc Pederson of the Dodgers.

Sox manager Will Venable commended the players stating, “To have those guys right in the middle of your lineup do that five times is really special.” Speaking on their impact in Friday’s game, Venable added, “To be able to get a really good pitcher like that shows how impactful they are.” He highlighted Montgomery’s persistence despite early challenges with Rays’ starter Nick Martinez.

The three players helped the White Sox maintain their lead in the American League Central, extending it to three games over the Cleveland Guardians, who lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Vargas was instrumental in starting the power surge with his 23rd home run of the season, accomplished with two outs in the first inning. The homer measured 433 feet and had an exit velocity of 107.8 mph. Venable praised Vargas’s batting, saying, “He continues to take good swings on good pitches, and make good swing decisions.”

In the second inning, Benintendi showcased his prowess with a 405-foot solo home run, his 11th of the season. Venable complimented Benintendi’s consistency and ability to hit the ball hard.

Murakami further extended the lead with a two-run homer to left-center in the third inning, marking his 24th of the season. “We feel like he’s covering everything,” Venable remarked.

The Rays managed a single run from Junior Caminero’s solo home run, his 30th, in the fourth inning.

Sox starter Erick Fedde delivered an impressive performance, allowing one run on four hits with six strikeouts and no walks over five innings. Fedde commented, “One of my better ones of the year, I think. Felt like I had a good three-pitch mix going.” He appreciated the robust offensive backing from the team.

Fedde stated, “They make my job easy when they give me big leads… The power on this team is unbelievable.”

Montgomery scored a two-run homer in the sixth inning, marking his 25th home run and extending the score to 6-1. “When Vargas hits a homer or Mune hits a homer, it kind of just eases the pressure off of you,” Montgomery noted.

With the trio’s performance, combined with Benintendi’s contribution, Montgomery concluded, “Our offense is starting to click.”