CHICAGO - Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami homered for the second straight game, taking his tally to 26 for the season, in Saturday's 6-3 comeback win over the Cleveland Guardians.
The Guardians took a 2-0 lead in the top of the sixth at Rate Field before Murakami sparked a five-run rally in the bottom half with his solo shot off Cleveland starter Gavin Williams that flew high to the opposite field and glanced off the foul pole.
"I thought it was a home run," Murakami said. "I saw two fastballs, and since I'd let a hittable pitch on the second one go by, I swung thinking another one might be coming."
"I'm facing more pitchers with high-velocity fastballs than in Japan, and I think I'm making adjustments or rather growing as a player."
Murakami, who also drew a walk and finished 1-for-3, sealed the win with a nice reflex catch at first base to end his team's season-high four-game losing streak.
The victory increased Chicago's division lead back to three games over the Guardians and the Minnesota Twins.
In other MLB action, the Los Angeles Dodgers snapped their season-worst seven-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks after Shohei Ohtani drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning at Chase Field.
With two out and runners on the corners, Ohtani hit a grounder toward right that Arizona first baseman Tim Tawa dived to grab, with the two-way star outsprinting his throw to the bag.
Los Angeles ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw 5-2/3 shutout innings and did not factor in the decision after leaving the mound with the game still scoreless. He struck out six while allowing three hits and three walks.
