Austin Hays homered on his first pitch with the White Sox, Munetaka Murakami collected two RBIs in his debut, and top prospects Braden Montgomery and Sam Antonacci shined in an 8–1 win over the Cubs.
Chicago White Sox spring training got started with a statement on Friday afternoon as they defeated the Chicago Cubs 8–1 in the Cactus League opener.
The Sox were led by a pair of home runs in the first two innings. And from there on out, it was the perfect combination of new acquisitions and top prospects delivering big performances to make an exciting start to spring training action.
Outfielder Austin Hays, who signed a one-year deal worth $6 million with the White Sox in free agency, took the first pitch he saw with his new team and sent it over the fence in left-center field.
In the top of the second inning, Sam Antonacci (No. 11 prospect) launched a no-doubter to right field off Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon and admired it with a bat flip that made it 3–1.
It was also a good day for Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, who made his highly anticipated White Sox debut and went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
His first hit of the afternoon was a 108.3 mph single — not bad for arriving at the ballpark just 20 minutes before first pitch due to a traffic jam between Glendale and Mesa.
Later in the game, Braden Montgomery — the No. 1 prospect in the White Sox organization — tripled in a run to extend the lead and notch his first hit of the spring.
Korey Lee also recorded three hits to open a spring training in which he’s locked in a tight battle for a roster spot. Lee needs to show the White Sox why he's worth keeping on the roster despite being the clear cut No. 3 catcher on the depth chart.
On the pitching side, it was a group effort, with eight different pitchers holding the Cubs to one run on seven hits.
Tyson Miller — a former Chicago Cub and non-roster invitee to White Sox spring training — particularly stood out.
He retired the side cleanly in the bottom of the third, striking out Seiya Suzuki and generating easy at-bats against Alex Bregman and Miguel Amaya.
Miller posted a 2.32 ERA over 58 bullpen appearances in 2024 with the Cubs and Seattle Mariners.
We’re right in the thick of it now. The White Sox are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they host the Athletics at Camelback Ranch. Expect plenty of lineup changes, with new faces set to make their spring training debuts.