


It was a big day for two former Yankees pitchers.
Jordan Montgomery dominated over seven scoreless innings, while Aroldis Chapman twirled a perfect inning of his own as the Rangers blanked the Rays, 4-0, on Tuesday afternoon in Game 1 of their best-of-three American League Wild Card Series.
Montgomery, making just his second career postseason start, struck out five as he held Tampa in check with a four-pitch mix, keeping the Rays off balance.
The southpaw even helped himself out one of the few times he got into a jam, making a diving catch up the first base line to deny Jose Siri of a bunt single and potentially an RBI.
It was an all-around strong effort for the 30-year-old, who was a 2014 fourth-round draft pick of the Yankees.
Montgomery was dealt by the Bronx Bombers at last year’s deadline in a deal where the Yankees acquired outfielder Harrison Bader.
It proved to be an ill-fated move, as Montgomery pitched a 3.31 ERA over 32 starts with the Cardinals over the last two years before he was moved to Texas at this year’s deadline.
Over 11 regular season starts, Montgomery had a 2.79 ERA with the Rangers.
On the flip side, while Bader had a strong 2022 postseason with the Yankees, he hit .237/.274/.353 in 98 games before he was put on waivers and picked up by the Reds on Aug. 31.
“Yeah, I’m sure [the Yankees] saw the potential,” Montgomery told The Athletic in the lead-up to Game 1. “They might have given up on me, but I think it was the best thing for me to get to the Cardinals and get set up with [Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux]. Our pitching philosophies are much closer.”
Montgomery credited Maddux with amping up his four-seam fastball usage, which the lefty used on 26 of his 93 pitches Tuesday.
As for Chapman, he whiffed one batter as he threw the game’s six fastest pitches, three of which registered at 101 mph.
A seven-year Yankee, Chapman joined the Royals as a free agent this offseason and was then traded to Texas in late June to bolster the Rangers’ bullpen.
The Rangers can clinch the first-round series with a win on Thursday afternoon.