Tigers' Keider Montero Posts Career-Low Highlight in Latest Start
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It happens every so often that a pitcher can get out of an inning with 10 or fewer pitches, but rarely does it happen back-to-back-to-back in the same game. But the Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Keider Montero was locked in on Sunday.
Keep in mind, the Tigers were playing the AL Central leaders, the Chicago White Sox, and their offense is not lacking in power. In fact, Detroit hadn't been able to log a win over them until Friday evening.
Montero, however, was on a different level as it took 15 pitches to log the first six outs of the game- a career best. Then, he kept it going as he only needed another seven to get out of the third inning as well.
Twenty-two pitches, nine outs, and only one of those first nine had an at-bat with more than three as the lead-off man saw four before he was retired. Unbelievable. That mark is the fewest from a Tigers' starter since Mark Fiers threw 21 against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 2, 2018, per the Tigers' television broadcast.
Don't worry, it didn't stop there as he threw four perfect innings on 33 pitches, with 24 strikes. Montero retired 13 in a row before a dribbler off the bat led to a weak hit at the top of the 5th. Unfortunately, his near-perfect start was hindered by a surprising two-run homer from the No.9 man.
Even with that eye sore, Keider Montero has proven he is not a bullpen arm; he is a starter. By the time he was done on the mound was at the end of the seventh inning. His final stat line was six hits, three earned runs, no walks, and three strikeouts.
The White Sox did some damage to him in his final two innings, and even though he only threw 76 pitches, his command started to drop, and it was time for Drew Sommers to come in.
Montero Highlights This Season
AJ Hinch had rightfully been under scrutiny for his decision to pull Montero weeks ago against the White Sox when he had pitched six dominant innings and his pitch count was only at 65, sounds just like what was seen this finale.
Luckily, the same fate didn't come on Sunday afternoon, or Comerica Park might have rioted as the cheers for Montero rang through the park after each inning.
After getting a little beaten up in April, Montero has been utterly the most reliable arm that the Tigers have had as injuries have struck the rotation. He has averaged around a 3.50 ERA in his last nine starts, and has shown he can go the distance.
The Tigers' season isn't lost quite yet, and if they go on a real run in the next few weeks, they will be buyers rather than sellers when that trade deadline comes around, and Tarik Skubal will still be pitching for Detroit at the end of the summer.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.