
Munetaka Murakami provided an early blast. Then Japanese countryman Rikuu Nishida added a timely, flashy assist from right field in his major-league debut to help the White Sox hold off the Minnesota Twins 3-1 on Monday at the Rate.Murakami launched his 18th home run in the first inning, an arching solo shot off Zebby Matthews to right field that ended the slugger’s seven-game longball drought. He hadn’t gone deep since hitting two for the first time in his career on May 16 against the Cubs.Murakami swatted the first pitch he saw, a high, inside fastball, on a 41-degree angle. It tied the game at 1 before a juiced-up announced crowd of 30,114.Murakami usually talks to reporters after homering, but this time, he deferred attention to Nishida, who made immediate impact after being called up from Triple-A Charlotte before the game.“It went really fast,” Nishida said to reporters in English in the clubhouse after the game.The Osaka native grounded a single up the middle in the fourth for his first hit after striking out swinging in his first at-bat on a 1-for-3 afternoon What the 5-foot-6, 150-pound Nishida did in the field was more electric.He made seven putouts. Even better, Nishida cut down Orlando Arcia at the plate for the third out in the top of the second as Arcia tried to score from second on Alex Jackson’s single to right.Nishida charged the ball and uncorked a bullet to catcher Drew Romo, throwing so hard that his left shoe fell off.Arcia danced wide and evaded…
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