White Sox turn historic collapse into historic slugging, reach rare 30-homer trio

Munetaka Murakami pulled a first-inning fastball from Twins right-hander Taj Bradley over the left-field wall at Target Field on Saturday night, and with that swing the Chicago White Sox became the first team in 18 years to put three players in the 30-home-run club in the same season.

Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery had gotten there a night earlier, both connecting off Minnesota starter Zebby Matthews in a 4-1 win at Rate Field — the first time in franchise history that two White Sox teammates had reached 30 homers in the same game, according to Elias Sports Bureau data cited by the club. Murakami's blast the next night made it a trio, even though Chicago lost that game, 6-4, on Ryan Jeffers' three-run homer off Anthony Kay.

Three sluggers, one dugout

It is only the fourth time in White Sox history that three players have hit at least 30 home runs in a single season, and the first since 2008, when Jermaine Dye, Carlos Quentin and Jim Thome did it. The earlier instances came in 2006 (Joe Crede, Dye, Thome and Paul Konerko) and 2004 (Konerko, Carlos Lee and José Valentín), according to the official MLB.com recap of Murakami's milestone. Murakami also became just the fourth Japanese-born player to reach 30 homers in a big league season, joining Shohei Ohtani, Seiya Suzuki and Hideki Matsui.

Montgomery's 30th, a 416-foot drive to right-center in the fourth inning Friday, also gave him the White Sox's single-season home run record for a player who primarily plays shortstop, a notable line for a player who hit 21 homers as a rookie in 2025 after debuting in the second half of that season. Vargas, whose previous career high was 16 homers, got his 30th in the first inning Friday off Matthews — the same pitcher who had carried a perfect game into the sixth inning against Chicago just two days earlier.

"Doing it on the same night and being able to share with Vargas is awesome," Montgomery said afterward, according to the team's official recap. "It's just a lot of dedication to staying with your approach and process." Vargas called it "pretty awesome," adding: "I know how hard it is and I've been working very hard to have a decent year, I guess. To achieve one of these moments, it means a lot for me for sure."

Murakami, who homered through interpreter Kenzo Yagi after Saturday's loss, put the individual achievement in team terms even as he acknowledged the result. "Obviously I'm really happy about getting 30, but moreover we lost the game," he said. "So that's very much disappointing. We hope we can win one tomorrow." Chicago did, routing Minnesota 10-1 on Sunday behind a five-run eighth inning, with Randal Grichuk and Kyle Teel each homering.

From 121 losses to first place

The milestone lands in the middle of a season that has turned the White Sox from a punchline into a contender. Two years ago, Chicago finished 41-121, the most losses by a team in the modern era (since 1901), including a 6-48 stretch and a 1-28 record at home from July 10 to Sept. 13 of that season. Manager Will Venable was hired that October 31 to rebuild a roster stripped down to prospects, and the team improved to 60 wins in his first season, 2025, as young players including Montgomery, catcher Kyle Teel, second baseman Chase Meidroth and reliever Grant Taylor debuted after the All-Star break.

This year the pieces have come together. Chicago signed Murakami, a former Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger, to a two-year, $34 million contract over the winter; he missed 35 games with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain suffered May 29 against Detroit but has hit on almost everything else since returning. Entering Sunday, the White Sox stood at 74-68, holding a 2½-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central and a 1½-game edge over Houston for the American League's second seed and an accompanying Wild Card Series bye. After Sunday's win, that division lead over the Guardians held at 2½ games.

Twelve players from the 121-loss 2024 team remain in the organization, five of them on the current active roster: Vargas, designated hitter Andrew Benintendi and right-handers Sean Burke, Davis Martin and Erick Fedde. Their perspective on the turnaround, relayed in an MLB.com feature published from Scott Merkin's White Sox Beat newsletter, underscores how far the roster has come. "That seems like it was 10 years ago," Benintendi said of 2024. Vargas was blunter: "Yeah, I don't want to remember too much about '24."

"To have three guys in the middle of your lineup that have 30 homers, it means a lot. Obviously, it speaks to what we do well. These guys hit the ball hard, hit the ball over the fence, and it's cool to have three guys with 30," White Sox manager Will Venable said.

A different home crowd

The most visible reversal from 2024 has come at Rate Field, formerly Guaranteed Rate Field, where the White Sox own a 28-14 home record this season, the second-best mark in the majors, after that 1-28 stretch two years ago. "Every day, 28,000 people out there, it's fun. We can feel the energy," Vargas said. "We can match the energy. Even when we are down in the 9th inning, nobody has left their seats." Martin, who returned from Tommy John surgery to make 10 starts in 2024, described the shift in mood around the organization: "It used to be a disdain type, gross thing to talk about. But now it's more exciting just to see how far we've come in two years."

What comes next

Chicago had Monday, Labor Day, off. The team opens a three-game series Tuesday at home against Pittsburgh, with Burke (8-6) facing Bubba Chandler, part of a stretch run that includes a series at Cleveland from Sept. 14-16 with direct implications for the division race. With roughly three weeks left in the regular season, the White Sox are trying to hold off the Guardians for the AL Central title and the Astros for the league's second seed, all while three teammates continue a friendly competition of their own for the club's single-season home run crown — one that, regardless of who finishes on top, has already made White Sox history.