There are home runs.
And then there was the solo blast hit by White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami in the third inning of Tuesday’s City Series game against the Cubs.
Murakami crushed a 3-2 fastball from Kevin Gausman for a 406-foot home run that hit the bottom of the left-field video board.
“I didn’t really think it was going to go that far, but yeah, it was a clean hit,” Murakami said through an interpreter.
Murakami’s 29th home run of the season came in the 4-3 loss in front of 40,034 at Wrigley Field. The Sox suffered their second consecutive walk-off loss. Monday, it was a two-run home run by Pete Crow-Armstrong leading off the 10th inning. Tuesday, it was an RBI single by Alex Bregman with two outs in the ninth.
“It’s an amazing atmosphere and playing in front of these crowds in Chicago is really nice,” Murakami said. “But obviously it’s really disappointing that we lost today. So just get back there tomorrow and try to win.”
Murakami went 1-for-4 with the home run and a walk in the loss.
He has hit a home run in three of his last five games. The stretch includes a tie-breaking solo home run in the fourth inning of Friday’s 9-5 win against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. He broke another tie on Sunday with a two-run home run in the seventh inning of a 7-5 victory to complete the three-game sweep of the Tigers.
Tuesday’s home run tied the score at 2.
“The Murakami pitch, great pitch, just a really good hitter,” Gausman said.
It was his third home run of the year against the Cubs. He homered twice against them on May 16 at Rate Field, a game the Sox won 8-3.
Erick Fedde put the Sox in a strong position to win Tuesday, allowing three hits in 4 2/3 scoreless relief innings.
“Honestly, I felt like just kind of treating every pitch today like it was the most important pitch I’ve thrown this year,” Fedde said. “Not even thinking about when I was coming out. Kind of giving it my all and when they decided it was my time, so be it.
“My goal there too was to go deep for the guys and give us a chance to win.”
Fedde had been searching for consistency since moving to the bullpen at the beginning of the month. Coming into Tuesday, he had a 9.82 ERA in his last four relief appearances.
Tuesday was similar to the bulk role he sometimes occupied before the Sox acquired Luis Castillo in a trade on Aug. 1, which led to Fedde’s bullpen assignment.
“I luckily was able to take the Detroit series off and I guess it feels more like a five-day rotation in that sense,” Fedde said. “Got a little mound work in between and just kind of back to a little more familiar standings for me.”
Sox manager Will Venable said Fedde was “amazing.”
He exited with two outs in the sixth and the Sox leading 3-2.
The Cubs tied it in the seventh. And the Sox received a bit of a bad break in the eighth with a 1-hour, 28-minute rain delay that shortened Grant Taylor’s relief outing to one inning. The right-hander entered with two on and no outs in the seventh.
“Grant was going back out there (for the eighth) and obviously we weren’t able to get his inning there, which puts you in a tough spot,” Venable said. “We’re already in a tough spot, and that’s not making excuses, but it hurts. You understand why, and I think they got it right. It rained pretty heavy there, right when they thought it was going to, and Trevor (Richards) came in and did a good job in what would have been Grant’s inning anyway.
“Tough spot, but Trevor did a good job there in the eighth to do what he could to put up a zero.”
The Sox were an out away from sending the game to extra innings for the second straight night. But Bregman singled to center against Richards and Carson Kelly scored, handing the Sox another tough loss.
“Our team has played with a lot of heart,” Fedde said. “Nothing to be ashamed about. Obviously not on the right side of it, but we’ve had timely hitting, timely defense. Just unfortunately been on the wrong side of it.”
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