White Sox 15, Twins 2: Meidroth Grand Slam, Murakami's 20th HR in Sandlin Debut

The lead

May 27, 2026 - Chicago - Chase Meidroth hit his first career grand slam, Munetaka Murakami became the first rookie in MLB history with 20 homers before June 1, and the Chicago White Sox routed the Minnesota Twins 15-2 at Rate Field, per the Associated Press recap on ESPN.

David Sandlin retired 18 straight batters in his major league debut, allowing one run on one hit over six innings.

How the game turned

Byron Buxton homered leading off for 1-0, but Chicago answered with two in the second on Sam Antonacci's two-run single. Murakami scored on Randal Grichuk's single in the fifth during a five-run frame that made it 8-1.

Meidroth's grand slam in the seventh—after Edgar Quero and Tristan Peters reached—made it 13-1. Murakami followed with a 432-foot solo shot for 14-1, his 20th homer of the season and third in three games.

Pitching and matchup notes

Sandlin struck out four without a walk and received a standing ovation after six innings. The White Sox became just the third team since 1901 to allow one hit and one run in a pitcher's debut, per Elias.

AthX Engine graded Chicago at 31 team FP—top on the 15-game Wednesday card—with Murakami and Meidroth each at 11 hitting FP.

Bats that changed the board

Murakami joined Frank Thomas (1994) and Jim Thome (2006) as the only White Sox with 20 homers before June. Chicago finished 18-for-33 with 15 runs after an extra-inning loss Tuesday.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

31 team FP from a debut starter plus a record-setting rookie homer is peak AthX Engine variance—spread offense without a single 15 FP hitter. Daily scoring remains separate from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

The White Sox and Twins play the series finale Thursday afternoon, per AP probables.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, ESPN game recap, South Side Sox, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*