(Minneapolis) Quebecer Édouard Julien hit two home runs and the Minnesota Twins defeated the Chicago White Sox by a score of 6-3 on Thursday.
The White Sox saw their record slip to 3-22 when they blew a two-run lead. They suffered a seventh defeat in a row.
The Chicago team tied the Cincinnati Reds (2022), Detroit Tigers (2003) and Washington Senators (1894) as the only teams to start their season with a 3-22 record. The Baltimore Orioles had fared worse in 1988, going 2-23.
The White Sox, who are off to the worst start to a season in their history, were outscored 141-56 and allowed 38 home runs.
Julien and Ryan Jeffers hit a long ball during a three-run sixth inning against Michael Soroka. Julien added a four-goal score in the seventh, against John Brebbia. Carlos Santana and Jose Miranda also homered during the game, in the eighth, against Steven Wilson.
The Twins swept the four-game series, recording a fifth straight win for the first time since August 2023.
Julien has hit seven long balls this season, which places him in the top 10 in this regard in the Majors.
“There will be times when I hit four in a week and months when there won’t be any,” said the Quebecer, who hit 16 home runs in his rookie season last year. For me, the important thing is to be more of a complete hitter than a power hitter. My goal is to get on base and help my team win. »
Andrew Vaughn and Korey Lee both put two balls to safety for the White Sox, who lost their lead after five innings.
Julien and Jeffers homered on two consecutive shots in the sixth inning. Trevor Larnach, Max Kepler and Willi Castro then hit consecutive singles against Tanner Banks (0-2) to give the Twins a 3-2 lead.
Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson allowed two runs and seven hits in five innings of work in his second start of the season. Cole Sands (1-0) blanked his opponents during an inning to record his first career victory in the Majors.