Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and Colson Montgomery made history by each homering in the same game for the fifth time this season.
Earlier this year, the trio of Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and Colson Montgomery became the first set of Chicago White Sox players to each hit 20 or more home runs before the All-Star break since 2006.
That feat was last accomplished by Hall of Famer Jim Thome, all-time franchise great Paul Konerko, and World Series MVP Jermaine Dye. That's some pretty elite company for this talented group of young White Sox hitters.
On Friday night in Tampa Bay, Murakami, Vargas, and Montgomery made more White Sox history and tied an MLB record in the process.
Miguel Vargas got the scoring started with a solo home run in the first inning. The first pitch of his at-bat was a 90 mph sinker on the inner half, and Vargas launched it 433 feet with an exit velocity of 107.8 mph.
Two innings later, it was Murakami who got to All-Star starting pitcher Nick Martinez. Murakami flicked his wrists and took a 78 mph changeup on the outer half to the opposite field, sending it 389 feet for a two-run home run that put the White Sox ahead 4-0 early.
In the top of the sixth inning, Colson Montgomery added some insurance. Martinez left a sinker over the middle of the plate, and Montgomery demolished it. The ball left his bat at 107.4 mph, traveled 425 feet, and banged off the catwalk at Tropicana Field after being sent into orbit.
Those powerful swings had the White Sox playing from ahead the entire way, and they highlighted the evening as Chicago bested the AL-leading Rays by a final score of 6-1.
Friday night marked the fifth time during the 2026 season that Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and Colson Montgomery have each hit a home run in the same game.
That ties an MLB record. It is just the 10th time in baseball history that a trio of teammates has accomplished the feat. It is also only the second time in White Sox history, with Joe Crede, Paul Konerko, and JosĂ© ValentĂn previously doing it in 2004.
The last MLB trio to accomplish the feat was Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, and Joc Pederson with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019. Never before has a trio of teammates each homered in the same game six times over the course of a season.
It all started back on April 19 against the Athletics in Sacramento, during a series in which the White Sox power bats first broke out. It then carried over to Arizona. In fact, Murakami, Vargas, and Montgomery each hit a home run in three consecutive games for the White Sox back in April. On April 21, they hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the second inning.
Another notable game in which this occurred came on May 16 against the Chicago Cubs, when the White Sox won 8-3. Murakami hit two home runs that day.
There have certainly been more dominant offensive trios than this current White Sox group. But as Murakami, Vargas, and Montgomery tie this MLB record and look to stand alone by doing it for a sixth time later this season, it shows us the upside and potential currently present in the South Siders’ lineup.
On any given evening, Murakami, Vargas, and Montgomery can take over a game.
Even if all three are not swinging the bat well simultaneously, any one of them can change a game with a single home run. Not to mention the fact that their presence in the lineup helps the other White Sox hitters around them.
It is for this reason that the ceiling of the 2026 White Sox is so difficult to determine. It truly feels like they can beat anybody when they are playing their best baseball. And the best part of it all is that this entire group will be back in Chicago for 2027.
If Murakami eventually lands a contract extension with the club, they could remain together for the foreseeable future.
