White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery sits out Sunday with bruised shin

Shortstop Colson Montgomery, who leads the White Sox with 24 homers, sat out Sunday’s 12-3 win over Houston with a bruised right shin.

He aggravated a previous injury there in the ninth inning of Saturday’s 4-1 loss when he fouled a pitch off his leg, then singled to drive in Chicago’s only run.

Montgomery wanted to rest and treat the contusion on Sunday and hopes to be ready to play Monday when the White Sox open a four-game series with the New York Yankees.

“Kind of things just to flush out, you know, swelling and things like that,” Montgomery said. “It’s just something that, you know, we get ahead of right now.”

Montgomery said the fouled-off ball struck him above his “regular” and custom leg guards and near a previously bruised area. Injured catcher Kyle Teel suggested adapting a catcher’s shin guard for protection, but Montgomery said it wouldn’t be comfortable.

Measuring stick?

The New York Yankees come to the South Side for four games starting Monday, then meet the Cubs at Wrigley Field for three.

The timing might be perfect for Chicago’s teams.

New York placed All-Star outfielder and former Cub Cody Bellinger on the IL with a left hamstring strain on Sunday. The Yankees have been without slugger Aaron Judge (fractured rib)since May 31 and DH Giancarlo Stanton (strained right calf) since April 24.

Still, the Yankees entered Sunday in second place in the AL East and owned the second-best record in the league.

But White Sox manager Will Venable downplays the upcoming series as a measuring stick for his team

"I think we're kind of past playing games and measuring where we're at,” Venable said. “We know we're a good team. We know the Yankees are a good team. We'll worry about them when we get there.”

All-family first pitch

Munetaka Murakami’s parents both threw out ceremonial first pitches before Sunday’s 12-3 over Houston. Then Murakami hit two homers and recorded a career-best six RBIs.

The slugger’s father, Kimiya, tossed with Murakami catching. His mother, Fumiyo, threw to interpreter Kenzo Yagi.

“The last time my parents came, I wasn’t on the field, I was injured,” Murakami said. “Just being out there on the field today and getting the result in front of them, it’s just really speechless.”

Spritz, that’s it!

Sunday’s Murakami bobblehead was sponsored by Toto, Ltd, a leading Japanese plumbing fixture brand, and its Toto Washlet. That’s the electronic toilet seat bidet the White Sox asked Toto to install in their clubhouse commodes after Murakami requested it.

Bidets use a stream of water to clean a person’s, well, derriere. Although “funky” to many Americans, bidets are common in Japan and some European countries.

Shinya Tamura, the president of Toto, also threw a ceremonial first pitch Sunday, and the company had a product display across from the Rate. The Murakami bobblehead was featured on Toto’s USA website.

Toto is using its relationship with Murakami to help introduce it Washlet  to U.S. customers, including other MLB teams.

“It’s not like everyone knows about it yet, “Tamura said through an interpreter. “And having Murakami as a popular person, influential person, introduce something about Washlet Toto, that will will be helpful to us.”

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Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Chicago Sun-Times. Open at source →