White Sox Rookie Says ALDS Moment Topped Dream MLB Debut

Chicago White Sox outfielder Braden Montgomery has certainly had a rookie year to remember.

After starting the season with Double-A Birmingham, working his way up to Triple-A and eventually making his MLB debut for the White Sox on June 9, Montgomery now finds himself in the everyday lineup for a postseason team and playing hero in the playoffs during Game 2 of the ALDS.

He's come a long way in such a short period of time. And he seems destined to have a long and memorable career in a White Sox uniform. If his rookie campaign is any indication, Montgomery will have plenty of moments that live on in White Sox lore.

The 23-year-old's MLB debut felt like something out of a fairy tale.

Montgomery was called up to help the White Sox in a pennant race and played the first game of his career in front of a packed home crowd at Rate Field against the ever-dangerous Atlanta Braves.

With the White Sox trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the 10th inning, Montgomery stepped in to face Raisel Iglesias, one of the most reliable closers in baseball. He took an 0-1 changeup to the opposite field, sending it off the top of the wall and over the fence for a walk-off two-run home run.

In the words of the legendary Bob Costas, who was on the call that night for a special '80s Night broadcast, "Talk about theater."

You couldn't script a better debut for a highly anticipated White Sox prospect. With one swing of the bat, Montgomery created an instant classic in White Sox history.

On Monday in Cleveland, Montgomery delivered another moment that was even more special.

After striking out in his first two at-bats, Montgomery was flipped over to his weaker right side to face Guardians left-handed reliever Eric Sabrowski. The White Sox had runners on second and third with two outs, trailing 2-1 in Game 2 of the ALDS and looking to fight back from an early deficit.

Montgomery jumped on a first-pitch fastball in the strike zone, drove it to the opposite field and snuck it just inside the right-field line for a go-ahead two-run double.

As he reached second base, Montgomery turned toward the White Sox dugout and let out an emphatic scream, a rare burst of emotion from an otherwise calm, cool and collected player.

It was a reaction the moment demanded.

It may not have been a walk-off. It may not have been a home run. And it may not have had the fairy-tale ending of his MLB debut.

But when reflecting on his go-ahead hit, which helped propel the White Sox to a Game 2 victory and a 2-0 advantage in the ALDS, Montgomery said Monday night was an even better moment for him than his MLB debut.

And it wasn't particularly close.

"I can't even describe the energy that was running through me in that moment," Montgomery said. "It's exhilarating. I was just running with the wind. It was special to touch the bag and look back into the dugout and see my guys. It's a feeling like no other, and you want to replicate that feeling every night."

"That felt more personal that night," the rookie said of his walk-off home run in his MLB debut. "Tonight, it tops it tenfold to have those emotions going into it and have been down the road with this team."

Of course it does.

Every little kid who dreams of playing Major League Baseball pictures themselves playing in October. And for Montgomery, there were even more emotional stakes in this game after developing special bonds and relationships with his teammates throughout the season.

So much has been made about the White Sox culture, camaraderie and energy they've carried into the playoffs. And for good reason.

For each one of these guys, winning is about more than themselves. It's about picking up their friends and accomplishing something together. And when you have 26 individuals, 26 talented ballplayers, all pushing toward a greater cause and motivated by the ways they can uplift each other, you end up with a team that always seems to have someone ready to step up.

On Monday night, Braden Montgomery was that guy.