The swings of emotion for the White Sox and their fans couldn’t have been more extreme on Friday night
Marquee slugger Munetaka Murakami left the game in the third inning with a right hamstring injury and likely is headed to the injured list.
But the Sox bounced back after being stymied at the plate most of the night and pulled off a thrilling 4-3 victory in 10 innings.
Munetaka Murakami left the game grabbing his hamstring pic.twitter.com/29sWk7LV35
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 30, 2026
They won it on Miguel Vargas 13th homer — a two-run, no-doubt line shot — with two outs in the 10th after the Tigers had taked a 3-2 lead in the top of the frame on Zack Short’s deep sacrifice fly. Vargas launched his first career walk-off drive on a hanging changeup from Drew Anderson, setting off an on-field celebration and throaty roar from 30,019 fans.
The White Sox’ third straight win moved them to 30-27 and three games over .500 for the first time since Sept. 21, 2022. At least for the moment, it assuaged the prospect of losing Murakami, tied for the American League lead in homers at 20, for an undetermined period.
“You know, since ‘Mune’ wasn’t in the game, I had to step up and take that, you know, power hit again. No just kidding,” Vargas quipped. “I just tried to drive the runner in (automatic runner Drew Romo) and put the team in a position where we can win the game.
“I got lucky. I got the right pitch. I put a good swing on it.”
Still, Murakami’s status loomed as a bigger concern. The 26-year-old Japanese slugger, who signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the Sox in December, has been the No. 1 reason why the White Sox are both exciting and relevant again after three straight seasons of 101 or more losses.
Manager Will Venable didn’t have definite diagnosis, but he had an idea.
“Looks like a little hamstring strain on the initial evaluation,” Venable said. “He’ll get some imaging tomorrow, but probably a couple weeks.”
Murakami grabbed his the back of his right thigh, grimaced and walked slowly back to the dugout with Venable and training staff after running to first on a grounder that forced Sam Antonacci at second. The first-baseman was replaced by pinch-runner Luisangel Acuna, who scored the Sox first run on Vargas’ double. Vargas also took over for Murakami in the field, shifting from third.
Murakami didn’t leave the ballpark, however.
“We know the big piece that ‘Mune’ is for the team and what he does for the team,” Vargas said. “We all stay together and obviously he stayed there and was the first one in the clubhouse waiting for everyone.
“When you see that, it brings the group more together and closer. We all have to support him and hopefully it’s nothing bad.”
The South Siders’ other Japanese player, Rikuu Nishida, played a role in sending the game to extra innings.
The Tigers led 2-1 entering the ninth. scoring both runs on catcher Dillon Dingler’s 11th homer in the third. He golfed Erick Fedde’s low changeup, not a mistake pitch, into the left field stands.
Detroit right-hander Troy Melton kept the Sox mostly off balance through the seventh, surrendering just one run on six hits in a second straight crisp start after coming off the 60-day IL with right forearm inflammation
Benintindi singled with one out in the ninth, then advanced to third on Tristan Peters’ single.
Nishida bunted back to Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan, who looked over his shoulder, then threw the speedy infielder/fielder out at first. But Finnegan never forced Benintendi back toward third, and he burst for home and slid in under a wide throw by Detroit first baseman Spencer Torkelson.
“Really heads-up play by Beni,” Venable said. “He’s been in those situations before, that’s what you get with a guy that has that kind of experience and that kind of baseball IQ.”
Injury depleted themselves, the Tigers dropped their 19th game in their of their last 23 in a dreadful May that has seen them plunge to 14 games below .500.
After just taking three of four games from Minnesota at on the South Side, the Sox improved to 9-3 against opponents from the American League Central.