Yankees' Montgomery Stifled Sox With Career Night
NEW YORK — After getting roughed up by the Orioles in his previous start, Jordan Montgomery was at a loss for words.
The left-hander gave up five runs in three innings to a last-place team, a frustrating regression for the hurler after working through an early-season slump.
Facing the star-studded White Sox on Friday night, the odds were stacked against Montgomery. Chicago entered play with the best average and OPS against left-handed pitchers in all of baseball.
Instead of falling victim to a team that devours left-handed pitching, however, Montgomery spun an absolute gem.
Under the lights in the Bronx, the southpaw twirled seven scoreless innings while allowing four scattered base hits. Montgomery also recorded 11 strikeouts, setting a new career-high.
Although he didn't factor into the decision—as New York defeated the White Sox 2-1 on a walk-off single in the ninth—it was one of the best performances of Montgomery's career.
"That's more what I expect out of myself," Montgomery said after the game. "Go out there, set the tone, give our team a chance and we won a game so it was a fun one tonight."
It didn't take long for Montgomery to prove he had his stuff working on Friday night. Using all five of his pitches at least 12 times, the left-hander got Chicago to swing and miss 17 times.
"He was on the attack, he was in control," manager Aaron Boone said. "Really exciting outing for Monty and obviously we needed every bit of it."
Boone added that Montgomery's curveball was particularly effective, a pitch he used for six of his strikeouts. Montgomery recalled that early on Chicago was chasing the pitch as it dropped off a table down to the dirt below the zone. That's why he leaned on the pitch throughout, throwing it a game-high 26 times.
Montgomery said his curveball was the best it's been all season.
On the other side, left-hander Carlos Rodón was even more impressive. The southpaw also set a new career-high with 13 punch outs over six frames, permitting just two base knocks.
Friday night was the first game in the Modern Era in which both starting pitchers had 10+ strikeouts while allowing no walks and no runs, according to STATS.
Asked how much sweeter his performance was knowing Rodón was also dealing, the left-hander said he was just happy to pick up his teammates.
"They know I've always got their back," he said. "I'm relieved to get the job done. I believed in myself fully and I executed pitches."
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