Frankie Montas' Redemption Tour Starts in Friday's Opener for the Athletics

En route to probably being named an All-Star last season, Frankie Montas had his season cut in half by a PED suspension. He worked his way back in 2019, and in 2020 his work has paid off with getting the call as the Oakland Athletics' opening night starter Friday against the Angels.

Major League pitchers, heck, even some hitters, will tell you that they dreamed for years about getting the kind of news Frankie Montas got Friday, manager Bob Melvin telling the 27-year-old right-hander he would be the Oakland A’s opening night starting pitcher.

The 10-year-old Montas, back home in the Dominican Republic, never would have believed it.

“No man,” Montas said in a video conference call Saturday evening when asked about his expectations as a 10-year-old. “Especially just being here with the pitching staff. Like, we’re all good.”

Montas will be the lead husky on the A’s sled, the front man on a rotation that includes Sean Manaea, Mike Fiers, Chris Bassitt and A.J. Puk to begin with. And, as some point, Jesus Luzardo, like Puk a rookie left-hander with plus pitches, will work his way in there. He’s been sidelined by a 14-day positive test for COVID-19, but he’s back and, Montas said, “That’s huge, man. He’s one of us.”

If Montas cherishes getting the chance to throw the opener, it’s because he believes in the quality of the rest of the Oakland rotation.

“We all just want to go out there and compete,” Montas said. “It doesn’t matter if its men, Bassitt, Sean, Fiers, Luzardo, Puk, whoever they give the ball to.”

This is something of a redemption for Montas, who was 9-2 midway through June and seemingly headed to a berth on the All-Star team. But he was slapped with an 80-game suspension, at which point the A’s season seemed in jeopardy. But the A’s rallied to make the playoffs as a Wild Card entry.

Montas could have cashed in the season. Instead, he chose to keep working as if he would return. He did, for one September start, coincidentally against the Angels he’ll be facing Friday. He pitched six innings after having missed half a season, allowing just one run on a Taylor Ward homer. Montas didn’t get the win, but the A’s did, Matt Chapman hitting a two-run homer in the top of the ninth in Angels Stadium for a 3-2 victory, the 95th of Oakland’s 97 wins.

“This means a lot,” Montas said. “After what happened last year, it’s huge. I’m just happy to be able to contribute, to be able to help the team however I can for a full season.”

For Melvin, the three months that Montas put in to get ready to throw one game – suspended players are not eligible for that year’s postseason, so there was only going to be one game even if the A’s made it deep into the playoffs – told him all he had to know about Montas’s commitment to being there for his team.

There was, for Montas, a time when he thought none of this would happen, more then two months into the pandemic-induced shutout, Montas was overcome with the thought that there would be no opening day because there would be no season.

“To be honest, outside I was hoping we would play,” he said. “I was hoping for the season to start. But the last two weeks, I was kind of like, `I don’t think we’re gonna play.’ But that didn’t stop me from just trying to stay ready. And whenever we got the call to go back and start. I was just trying to make sure I was ready for anything.”

Anything begins Friday night.

Follow Athletics insider John Hickey on Twitter: @JHickey3

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