Mason Montgomery's current streak solidifies his spot in the Pittsburgh Pirates' bullpen for years to come.
Even though the Pittsburgh Pirates won’t be playing postseason baseball in 2026, there have been some positive takeaways from this year’s team.
One player who has exceeded expectations for the Pirates is Mason Montgomery.
The right-hander came into the organization last winter with the reputation of a hard-throwing pitcher with potential, but still had some command issues.
With a week left in the regular season, Montgomery has officially transformed himself not only into Pittsburgh’s closer of the future, but also into one of the best all-around relievers in baseball right now.
The 26-year-old has made 67 appearances so far this season and has a 2.59 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP.
The most impressive part about those numbers is that the overwhelming majority of the runs that Montgomery has given up came during the first half of the regular season; he’s been virtually lights-out since the All-Star Break.
In fact, Montgomery is currently on a streak of 24 straight scoreless appearances, which is the longest single-season streak by a Pirates pitcher since 1901.
Sep 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Mason Montgomery (46) and catcher Henry Davis (32) celebrate after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesDuring this incredible run, Montgomery has a 0.68 WHIP, a 38.2 percent strikeout rate, and a walk rate of just 7.8 percent, and has racked up 14 saves, too. So much for all of those concerns with Flamethrower’s command.
After Montgomery’s save against the Kansas City Royals over the weekend, manager Don Kelly gave him credit for the growth he’s made in those late-game situations.
“Another guy that's shown great growth and composure too, especially [in the] ninth inning. Tough situation. [He] has handled the emotions well and just stayed composed,” Kelly said.
It’s wild to imagine thinking back to just before the trade deadline, when the big question was how the Pirates would add more help in the back end of the bullpen, but their answer was in the organization all along.
Of course, there have been some ups and downs, but this streak Montgomery is on should more than solidify his spot in the bullpen moving forward.
Montgomery was one of the pieces that Pittsburgh acquired as part of the Brandon Lowe trade. Sure, there’s a chance that Lowe walks in free agency this offseason, even though he appears open to re-signing.
Even if that happens, though, Pittsburgh can still walk away from that offseason trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros last winter and say they got something of value back after giving up only a little.
