Munetaka Murakami continued to make history.
Shortly after that, the Chicago White Sox were history.
The left-handed-hitting rookie from Japan hit a solo home run in the first inning Friday night against the Seattle Mariners — his 15th of the season. It marked the eighth straight time he has homered in the first game of a series, which is a Major League Baseball record. He shares the major-league home run lead with New York Yankee slugger Aaron Judge.
But the good feeling didn’t last long as the Mariners hit four home runs of their own after that. Luke Raley hit two, including a grand slam, and drove in a career-high seven runs, helping deal the Sox a 12-8 loss in front of a Rate Field crowd of 23,011.
Photos: Chicago White Sox lose to Seattle Mariners 12-8
The White Sox (17-21) have dropped three straight games for the first time since April 14-16. It’s the second-most runs they allowed this season — the most coming opening day in a 14-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Murakami’s blast went into the left-field seats, giving him his first major-league opposite-field home run.
“It’s impressive,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “He has a really good swing and continues to give himself a chance to make some good decisions.”
Before the game, general manager Chris Getz said that as good as Murakami is now, he can even get better.
“I hope he continues to do what he’s doing,” Getz said. “He’s really a force for us. What he brings to the table is the influence and the impact that he has on the lineup. We want to continue to watch him have quality at-bats.
“The league is trying to figure him out, but he continues to show up and impress. With the work he puts in, he is going to get better.”
White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami watches the ball fly for a home run in the first inning against the Mariners at Rate Field on May 8, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Getz’s peers have taken notice and have called to praise him for signing Murakami.
“I got a couple calls this week,” Getz said. “One GM said, ‘Congratulations, you beat the industry on that one.’ That was nice to hear, and it’s worked out and we’re excited about having him in a White Sox uniform.”
Murakami remains stoic about his historical feats.
“Each day I want to stay in the same routine and prepare myself for the game,” he said through an interpreter. “That’s what’s important. And the team winning is most important.”
The White Sox were flirting with first place in the American League Central on Tuesday, trailing the Cleveland Guardians by a half-game. But they dropped a 4-3 decision they thought they should have won against the Los Angeles Angels and added an 8-2 loss Wednesday to cap their West Coast trip on a sour note.
The misery continued Friday night, and they have fallen to fourth place — three games behind the Guardians (21-19), who have the only winning record in the division.
Sox starter Sean Burke came into the game on fire, having allowed two earned runs on eight hits in 13 1/3 innings in his previous two starts. But after things looked bright for him after a 1-2-3, seven-pitch first inning, he struggled.
White Sox starting pitcher Sean Burke retrieves a ball after giving up a grand slam to Mariners right fielder Luke Raley in the third inning Friday, May 8, 2026, at Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
He had a chance to get out of a fourth-inning bases-loaded jam with two outs and an 0-2 count on Raley. But Raley connected on a fastball down the middle to put the ball in the right-field seats for his first career grand slam.
“I didn’t do a good job executing pitches in general,” said Burke (2-3), who allowed six runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. “I’m frustrated because the guys put up runs on offense and I wasted that.”
Raley added a three-run shot in the seventh inning, giving him his third career multihomer game and first since April 30, 2023 — also against the White Sox.
Mariners starter Emerson Hancock, who had just six walks in his first six games, gave up three walks in the fourth inning. He gave up four runs, with three coming from a bases-loaded double by Colson Montgomery, who has reach base a career-high 20 straight games.
Two new Sox players made their Rate Field debuts as members of the team — with varying results.
Outfielder Randal Grichuk, whom they signed Monday after the New York Yankees designated him for assignment, hit a ninth-inning, pinch-hit home run. Reliever Trevor Richards, whom the Sox picked up in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies for cash, gave up a three-run home run to Julio Rodríguez in the eighth.
Despite the pitching hiccups Friday night, the offense continued to produce. With players such as Murakami, Montgomery and Miguel Vargas getting big at-bats, Getz is happy with the deep lineup.
“We all know hitting can come and go and sometimes feeding on each other can be a good thing but also can be a hindrance sometimes,” he said. “We have some guys who can hit the long ball, and we have some guys who can grind out at-bats.
“But we have guys who are hungry and who want to work.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.