CLEVELAND — It was good to see that White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery still had a sense of humor after enduring a horrendous September.
After he hit the fourth-slowest extra-base hit in the Statcast era, a double that mustered all of 64 mph as it dribbled down the third-base line, Montgomery was asked if he hit the ball off the end of his bat.
“No, that was full barrel,” he said.
Funny guy.
The two-bagger drove in Kyle Teel from first base and gave the Sox an insurance run in a 3-0 victory against the Guardians in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. It also added to Montgomery’s rebuilding confidence after he batted .099 in September and set the major-league record for strikeouts in a season with 227.
That wasn’t funny at all.
But the Sox said they didn’t see Montgomery moping during that miserable month.
“I thought he did a great job throughout all of his struggles towards the end of the year,” manager Will Venable said, “maintaining a positive attitude, carrying himself in a positive way.”
“I think his temperament was good,” catcher Kyle Teel said. “He was going through it for a little bit in the back half of the season. When he has a bad game, you never call tell.”
Montgomery had many bad games while the Sox were trying to clinch a playoff spot while battling the Guardians for first place in the Central. In the last 19 games, his OPS was .291. He finished the season in an 0-for-24 rut.
The struggles and strikeout record certainly weighed on him. No 24-year-old wants that record attached to their name. Mark Reynolds, who had owned it since striking out 223 times in 2009 with the Diamondbacks, should send Montgomery a gift basket.
Do teammates do anything to help a player in such a funk?
“We’re all just letting him do his thing,” Teel said. “We were never in his ear; the coaching staff wasn’t in his ear. They let him figure it out.”
He figured out something in Houston. In his second plate appearance in Game 1 of the wild-card series, Montgomery hit an 0-2 fastball up and away off the batter’s eye, 432 feet away.
Less than 5% of all 0-2 counts in the majors resulted in a home run this season. What were the odds he’d snap his skid with his first homer since Sept. 5? If you have to ask, pretty darn low.
Montgomery went 0-for-3 in Game 2, but he drew a walk. He had only two walks in his last 12 regular-season games.
And he appears to be figuring out more in Cleveland. In his first at-bat Saturday, Montgomery flew out but made a face that signaled he just missed it. Then he drove a pitch low and away for a single to center field at 109.1 mph.
Then came the double he “barreled.”
“I think it was off the end of my bat,” he said. “I don’t know. I stayed through it enough to get it.”
According to Statcast, it had an expected batting average of .050.
“It’s just baseball,” Montgomery said. “[The Guardians] could easily do the same thing. I’m glad it happened on our side. Give Teel credit for booking it home.”
During his struggles in September, Montgomery didn’t help himself by striking out 42 times. But luck wasn’t on his side much, with a batting average on balls in play of .162. Can such a ridiculously fortunate hit give him a boost?
“I think every hit helps you gain confidence,” he said. “In the postseason, I’ve learned quickly that it’s more just trying to win each pitch. You can’t be thinking about trying to win at-bats. That’s what I was trying to do today.”
We tend to forget that many star ballplayers are young. Montgomery completed his first full season in the majors after debuting on July 4, 2025. But with the power he has shown for his position — 52 homers in 224 games — expectations have skyrocketed.
Venable has batted Montgomery ninth in each postseason game. A cynic would say that’s only because he can’t bat him 10th.
But Montgomery finally might be coming around, and a little bit of luck can only help.
“He’s a star, right?” Teel said. “He’s used to all the pressure, all the heat when he has no success, and everything that comes with success. He’s used to all of that. I feel like he handles himself well because he’s a star.”
