Chase Meidroth Leads Off White Sox Opening Day With a Home Run – Ignore the Rest
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The Chicago White Sox could not have asked for a better at bat to start the 2026 season.
On the road against the Milwaukee Brewers, second baseman Chase Meidroth was first to see the hard-throwing Jacob Misiorowski. He first took a 101.1 mph fastball outside before another touched the top of the zone. Three pitches later, he found himself with a full count, only to get a heater right down the middle of the plate.
Meidroth proceeded to send the ball high and deep to left field. He immediately dropped the bat and began his trot around the bases with confidence. The 24-year-old knew the ball was gone the moment it hit the barrel, and so did everyone else at American Family Field.
The homer traveled 417 feet with an exit velocity of 107.7 mph. In other words, it was a ridiculously hard hit ball.
FIRST AT-BAT OF THE SEASON. LET'S GO! pic.twitter.com/VLTOMnXipt
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 26, 2026
Chase Meidroth Makes White Sox History
Shortly after the White Sox took the 1-0 lead, Scott Merkin noted that this marked the first lead-off home run on Opening Day in franchise history.
I'm not sure many would have put their money on Meidroth to crack the White Sox history books in Game 1 of 162. While expectations are decently high for the infielder, he isn't nearly on the same kind of radar as guys like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, or even Munetaka Murakami. During his rookie campaign in 2025, Meidroth hit just five long balls in his 122 games. Could this be a sign of some added power in 2026?
If one thing is for sure, the White Sox are sure hoping to see a lot more of that from their second-year stud after Thursday's events. As exciting as Meidroth's start may been, the Sox received a sobering dose of reality in the innings to come. It wasn't long before Shane Smith was pulled from the game, and Milwaukee was circling the bases with ease.
By the top of the seventh inning, the Sox were down a staggering 11-1. Not only did Meidroth's homer obviously represent their only run, but it also served as only one of two hits at the time. Does that mean it's time to press the panic button? Of course not. This season was always going to be an uphill battle for the Sox, especially starting things off in Milwaukee. If anything, it serves as a needed reminder that this season is far more about the future than the present.
Elias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
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