Overview
- The White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Thursday thanks to Munetaka Murakami’s 423-foot, three-run homer in the first inning that supplied the game’s decisive offense.
- Murakami snapped a tough stretch in which he was 5-for-52 in September and 20-for-154 since August by finishing 2-for-4 with three RBIs and his first MLB triple.
- Erick Fedde allowed one run over 4 2/3 innings, Bryan Hudson earned the win in relief and Grant Taylor worked 2 1/3 innings for the save while Murakami’s relay throw helped end a late Tigers rally.
- The win moved Chicago to 78-75, tying Cleveland for the AL Central lead while the White Sox hold a 7-6 season-series tiebreaker and a two-game cushion over Texas and Toronto for the final AL wild-card spot.
- The result caps a dramatic late-season push for a team two years removed from a 121-loss season and leaves nine games — three vs. Detroit, three at Kansas City and a finale vs. Colorado — to decide whether Chicago clinches the division or a wild-card berth.