First-inning home run sinks Tigers in opener at White Sox

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News on Sep 17, 2026

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO — The big-picture point to these last few series for this young group of Tigers is they’re still playing games that matter. They aren’t just playing out the string. As learning tools go, playing high-stakes games late in September is about as good as it gets.

“It adds a little spice to the series,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Thursday before his team fell a little further out of it, losing to the White Sox, 3-1, in the first of four at Rate Field. “Pretty much the only way things turn our way is winning just about every game. We know what’s at stake for the White Sox and how we can factor into that.”

The win moves the White Sox back into a tie with the Cleveland Guardians atop the American League Central Division. The Tigers (72-81) fall six games back.

“It doesn’t feel like we’re just playing out the season and that’s an important edge to keep,” Hinch said. “For any team but particularly a young team that is learning what this is all about and learning what’s needed to be in a better position in the seasons moving forward.”

On a more micro level, though, this one was frustrating.

The White Sox made a two-out, three-run, first-inning homer by Munetaka Murakami stand up.

He hit a first-pitch sinker that lefty Framber Valdez left in the middle of the plate, sending his 32nd homer 423 feet to dead center. But that was the only damage against Valdez in five labor-intensive innings.

Valdez did not have one clean inning. He walked four. He pitched around some messy defense. Third baseman Kevin McGonigle misplayed the first ground ball of the game, though it was scored a single for Chase Meidroth, and he later booted another ground ball.

Valdez didn’t break. He struck out eight in his five innings and allowed just three hits.

The downside to all the traffic, it took him 90 pitches to navigate those five innings. Relivers Jacob Waguespack (one inning) and Ty Madden (two) kept it a two-run game.

The Tigers, though, were having their own issues coming up with the big hit.

Against White Sox starter Erick Fedde, they were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position over 4 2/3 innings. The Tigers put the first two runners on with no outs in the third and fourth innings and scratched across only one.

That came on fielder’s choice grounder with the bases loaded by Gleyber Torres.

They chased Fedde in the fifth with a two-out single by Torres and a double by Dillon Dingler. But lefty Bryan Hudson entered and struck out Riley Greene.

The Tigers put two on with two outs again in the seventh, this time against reliever Jordan Hicks. But right-hander Grant Taylor entered and got Dingler to ground out.

Make that 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

In the eighth, Brett Callahan drew a two-out walk from Taylor and Max Clark followed with a high bouncer toward third baseman Miguel Vargas. He leaped and caught the ball but his throw to first was late. Callahan, though, tried to go to third and was thrown out by Murakami.

Callahan was initially called safe, but the call was overturned by video review.

With the loss, the Tigers are now 17-32 against Central Division teams, 6-21 in games decided by two runs or fewer and 0-13 in games decided by two runs or fewer on the road. Woof.