CHICAGO - Munetaka Murakami belted his American League-leading 19th home run of the season, going deep in back-to-back games, as the Chicago White Sox lost to the Minnesota Twins 5-3 in extra innings on Tuesday.
Murakami launched a two-run shot to right field with compatriot rookie Rikuu Nishida on first, helping Chicago tie the game at 2-2 in the eighth inning at Rate Field. He finished 1-for-5 with two RBIs.
"I was looking to swing at a hittable pitch, and I was able to make solid contact," Murakami said of the home run. "It was good that we were able to tie the game, but I wanted to win."
Before Murakami's homer, Nishida, who made his Major League Baseball debut on Monday, singled for a second straight game after being promoted to the White Sox.
In the field, the 25-year-old Nishida threw out a runner trying to score from second on a single to right in the 10th inning, repeating the feat from the previous game.
In other MLB action, Kazuma Okamoto drove in an RBI as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Miami Marlins 8-1.
The Japanese slugger hit a run-scoring single in the third frame and ended 1-for-4 at Rogers Centre.
Elsewhere, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers exited the game after the two-way player took a pitch off his right hand ahead of his scheduled start on Wednesday.
Batting as the designated hitter, Ohtani went hitless in the Dodgers' 15-6 rout of the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.
