Friday: White Sox 7, Twins 1

It shaped up early as a pitching duel between Johan Santana and Mark Buehrle. Then Chicago's offense took over.

By Joe Christensen, Star Tribune

Last update: April 22, 2006 - 5:45 PM

CHICAGO - From Torii Hunter's view in center field, there was no way Jim Thome had just hit that pitch from Johan Santana for a home run.

But up and up it sailed, over Hunter's head and into the seats at U.S. Cellular Field, the defining moment for the Chicago White Sox in Friday night's 7-1 victory over the Twins.

Welcome to the rivalry, Mr. Thome. ... Gulp.

"I do not understand how that ball got out of there," Hunter said. "That's what Jim Thome does. He's a Twin killer. I hate to see him in this division again."

Thome's two-run homer in the sixth inning broke a scoreless tie in the first of 19 meetings between these teams, as Santana and Mark Buehrle had locked horns in a classic lefthanded pitching duel.

Buehrle (3-0) held the Twins to one run on four hits over eight innings, with the only damage coming on Lew Ford's eighth-inning home run.

Leading 2-1, the White Sox pulled away with five runs in the eighth, with four of those runs charged to Twins reliever Juan Rincon.

But as they contemplated their fourth loss in five games, the Twins' thoughts were on Santana, who seemed like the lone gunslinger trying to stop a White Sox juggernaut that has won 10 of 11.

After looking shaky in his first three starts of the season, Santana (0-3) returned to his Cy Young form, only to be foiled by one pitch.

"I think he's getting closer," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "And that's a good sign for us."

Santana made Thome look silly in his first two at-bats, striking him out both times with fastballs. For his career against Santana, to that point, Thome was 1-for-11 with six strikeouts.

But the Twins have enough history with Thome from his days with Cleveland to know how he can hurt them. Against the Twins, he is hitting .333 with 43 home runs in 474 at-bats.

After Tadahito Iguchi flared a single with one out in the sixth, Thome came to the plate for the first time with a runner on base.

Santana fell behind in the count 3-1 and threw a slider, low and away.

"I don't think it was one pitch. I think it was one swing," Santana said. "I threw a good pitch. Thome's a great hitter, there's no doubt about it. He's pretty strong. He just made contact, and just like that the ball was gone."

The home run was Thome's eighth of the season, and it extended an amazing streak. He has scored in all 16 of Chicago's games, setting a major league record to start a season.

"Thome definitely brings a different presence to the ballclub," Gardenhire said. "That's two really big power hitters right in the middle with him and [Paul] Konerko.

"And they've got some other guys who can do some damage, too, so it's a very good baseball team."

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