Chicago White Sox opening weekend recap vs. Brewers: Munetaka Murakami homers in first 3 MLB games, Chase Meidroth’s historic leadoff homer and Colson Montgomery’s grand slam highlight positives, but defensive miscues, Venable’s infield-in calls and a 29-10 run differential lead to 0-3 sweep.

The Chicago White Sox dropped all three games of their 2026 Opening Weekend series in Milwaukee, falling to the Brewers by scores of 14-2 (March 26), 6-1 (March 28), and 9-7 (March 29). Milwaukee outscored Chicago 29-10 in the sweep, exposing early-season issues with pitching depth, baserunning, and defense.

While the rebuild showed flashes of promise from young and newly added talent, the weekend highlighted the long road ahead. Manager Will Venable’s decision to bring the infield in during key moments, multiple times throughout the series, directly cost the Sox runs as the Brewers exploited the aggressive alignment with extra-base hits and ground-ball singles.

Three Positives to Build On

1. Munetaka Murakami’s Historic Hot Start
The 26-year-old Japanese slugger homered in each of his first three MLB games, becoming just the fourth player since 1900 to accomplish the feat (joining Chase DeLauter, Trevor Story, and Kyle Lewis). Murakami went deep in the ninth inning of the opener, on the first pitch of Game 2, and again in Game 3. As detailed in our earlier story, his power surge has already given White Sox fans something tangible to get excited about in the rebuild.

2. Chase Meidroth’s Record-Setting Opening Day Leadoff Homer
Rookie Chase Meidroth led off the very first game of the season with a solo home run off Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, the first Opening Day leadoff homer in White Sox franchise history. The moment provided an instant jolt, albeit short-lived. Still, an encouraging moment from one of the team’s younger developing core slugging a homer in his first at bat of the season is an encouraging sign, so it makes the list.

3. Colson Montgomery’s Grand Slam Sparks Late Fight
In Sunday’s finale, Colson Montgomery launched a first-inning grand slam that helped the White Sox build an early 6-2 lead. Combined with Murakami’s third straight homer, the young infielders showed they can produce in big moments and keep games competitive even when the pitching staff falters, which unfortunately happened multiple times this weekend.

Story continues below.

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What Went Horribly Wrong

The pitching staff was overwhelmed, especially in the 14-2 Opening Day blowout, where Jacob Misiorowski struck out 11 over five innings. Starter Shane Smith and the bullpen struggled to contain Milwaukee’s lineup across the weekend, surrendering 29 runs total.

Defense and decision-making also plagued the Sox. Multiple miscues, both of the physical and mental variety, piled up, with Venable’s choice to bring the infield in costing extra runs on ground balls and bloop hits. The Brewers also ran wild on the bases against catcher Reese McGuire. Baserunning errors and sloppy fundamentals left Chicago unable to capitalize on the few offensive sparks they generated.

The sweep drops the White Sox to 0-3 on the young season and serves as an early reality check for a team still searching for consistency within the rebuild. Positive individual performances from Murakami, Meidroth, and Montgomery offer some hope, but the group needs to tighten up defensively and on the mound quickly if they want to avoid more weekends like this and another season of futility.

For the latest White Sox recaps, Munetaka Murakami updates, Opening Week coverage, and 2026 season analysis, stay tuned here.