Munetaka Murakami gave Rate Field an October edge on Friday night, launching two home runs as the White Sox handled Colorado, 6-1, in front of 35,778 and kept their division chase alive.
| Team | R |
|---|---|
| Rockies | 1 |
| White Sox | 6 |
Murakami reaches 35 homers
Murakami went deep in the opening inning and again in the seventh, bringing his season total to a club-leading 35. It was the third two-homer performance of his career and the 11th multi-homer game recorded by a White Sox hitter this season.
Sean Burke took the ball despite the postseason picture already being in place for Chicago. The club has not shifted into a resting-starters mode; its immediate goal remains reaching 83 victories after three straight seasons with more than 100 losses.
| Sean Burke | Friday | 2026 season |
|---|---|---|
| Innings | 5 1/3 | 172 1/3 |
| Runs allowed | 1 | |
| Strikeouts | 7 | 185 |
| Walks | 1 | |
| ERA | 3.34 |
Burke closed his breakout year with another steady outing, holding the Rockies to one run while punching out seven. His 185 strikeouts were a career high.
A division race still has room to move
Chicago began its last regular-season series one game behind Cleveland in the American League Central. The Guardians’ Friday game in Kansas City was pushed back by rain, leaving the White Sox to handle their own business first.
A tie in the standings would favor Chicago, which won the season series against Cleveland, 7-6. Davis Martin is set to start Saturday, and another result like Friday’s could make the Wild Card Series plans unnecessary.
There was another difficult line in the box score for Colson Montgomery, who reached 224 strikeouts and established the MLB single-season record.
For one night, though, the larger White Sox story was simpler: Burke supplied the innings, Murakami supplied the thunder, and a club that has spent years climbing out of the basement still had meaningful baseball left to play.
