Gonzalez's Milestone Homer
Jacob Gonzalez Hits First MLB Home Run, Leads White Sox Past Phillies 6-3
Jacob Gonzalez hit his first Major League home run on Saturday, sending a 0-2 slider from Andrew Painter 428 feet into the second deck at Citizens Bank Park. The Chicago White Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3, moving to 34-30 on the season — their best mark this late in a year since September 2022, according to FanGraphs.
It was only Gonzalez's sixth big-league game. He was called up just one week ago after star first baseman Munetaka Murakami went down with a hamstring injury, according to CBS News. Colson Montgomery also homered, giving Chicago two young cornerstones going deep in the same game.
Gonzalez Gets the Call on His 24th Birthday
On May 30, Triple-A standout Jacob Gonzalez turned 24 years old and got the best birthday gift possible: a call to the Majors. Murakami had torn his right hamstring the day before while running out a play against Detroit, per MLB.com. Manager Will Venable confirmed Murakami would miss four to six weeks, opening the door for Gonzalez.
Gonzalez made the switch from shortstop — his natural position — to first base to fill the gap. He hit .317 with 19 home runs in Triple-A Charlotte this season. Before his debut, he told Sox Machine: "I've struggled the past two years, and now I've gotta prove to myself and to the White Sox that I'm better than what I have been."
A 42-Pitch First Inning Knocked Out Painter Early
The White Sox jumped on Phillies starter Andrew Painter fast. Chicago forced Painter to throw 42 pitches in the first inning alone, building a 4-0 lead on an Andrew Benintendi RBI single and back-to-back RBI groundouts from Chase Meidroth and Gonzalez, according to CBS News. Painter never recovered.
By the third inning, the damage was done. Montgomery launched a solo shot — his 16th home run of the year — and two batters later, Gonzalez crushed his first MLB homer. Painter left after 4 2/3 innings, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits. He fell to 1-7 on the season, per the Associated Press.
White Sox Youth Movement Turns a Rebuild Into a Race
Chicago entered 2026 after three brutal seasons, including a 2024 campaign nearly 50 games below .500. But the team has gone 25-14 since a 6-13 start, per World Baseball Network. The turnaround is built around young talent — especially the emerging duo of Montgomery and Gonzalez, who fans on Reddit's r/whitesox have dubbed the "Baby Sox."
Murakami had been leading the AL with 20 home runs before his injury. His absence could have derailed the season. Instead, it fast-tracked Gonzalez, whose offseason swing adjustment — bending less at the waist during his load — helped him tap into real power from his 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame, according to Baseball America.
Series Evened, but a Brutal Stretch Lies Ahead
The win pulled the series to 1-1 with Philadelphia. Sean Burke earned the victory, pitching 4 1/3 innings and striking out seven. Grant Taylor closed it out with a strikeout-the-side ninth inning for his second save, in front of a sellout crowd of 43,232 at Citizens Bank Park, per The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The good feelings may face a quick test. The White Sox's next 12 games include series against the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees — the three teams with the best records in baseball, according to Sox Machine. Whether Gonzalez keeps this up, and where he plays when Murakami returns, are the two questions that define Chicago's summer.
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