Michael Paul Montgomery (born July 1, 1989) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. Their home ballpark is Estadio de Béisbol Monclova, which has a capacity of 11,000 people. The Acere ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He was drafted by the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

in the first round of the

2008 MLB draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

, and made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) debut with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

in 2015. The Mariners traded him to the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

in 2016. Montgomery recorded the final out in Game 7 of the

2016 World Series The 2016 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 season. The 112th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs and the American Leag ...

, earning the save and sealing the Cubs' first World Series title since 1908.

Professional career

Kansas City Royals

Montgomery was selected by the

in the first round, with the 36th selection, of the

out of

William S. Hart High School William S. Hart High School is a four-year public high school in the neighborhood of Newhall in the city of Santa Clarita, California, United States. Founded in 1945, it is the oldest high school in the Santa Clarita Valley. Named for local cowbo ...

Santa Clarita, California Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-largest city by population in Los Angeles County, the 17th ...

. In 2012, he posted a combined record of 5–12 in 27 starts while splitting the season between the Royals' Double A and Triple A clubs. On November 20, 2012, the Royals added Montgomery to the 40-man roster in anticipation of the upcoming Rule 5 Draft of Minor League players.

Tampa Bay Rays

On December 9, 2012, Montgomery was traded to the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

(along with

Jake Odorizzi Jacob Todd Odorizzi (born March 27, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, Houston As ...

Patrick Leonard Patrick Ray Leonard (born March 14, 1956) is an American songwriter, keyboardist, film composer, and music producer, best known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna. His work with Madonna includes her albums '' True Blue'' (1986), ''Who's ...

, and

Wil Myers William Bradford Myers (born December 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padre ...

) in exchange for James Shields and Wade Davis. He was optioned to AAA on March 11, 2013.

Seattle Mariners

On March 31, 2015, Montgomery was traded to the

for Erasmo Ramírez. After an injury sidelined James Paxton, the Mariners called Montgomery up to the majors for the first time on June 2, 2015. He started that night against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

Safeco Field T-Mobile Park is a retractable roof stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners and has a seating capacity of 47,929. It is in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, near the western t ...

, giving up one run, four hits, and walking two while striking out four and leaving after six innings with a 2–1 lead. He was on track to earn his first major league win, but the Mariners lost the game. On June 23, 2015, Montgomery became the first Mariners left-handed pitcher to ever throw a complete game

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

with 10 strikeouts and no walks, getting the win against the

7–0. Following his first career complete game shutout, Montgomery pitched his second consecutive shutout on June 30, 2015. He allowed one hit, a double in the 7th inning, to the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

in a 5–0 win. He is the first Mariners pitcher since

Freddy García Freddy Antonio García (born October 6, 1976), is a former Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. He is best known for his many seasons with seven Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, including the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and ...

in 2001 to throw complete game shutouts in consecutive starts. On August 30, 2015, Montgomery was sent back down to the

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...

. He made the Mariners' opening day roster in 2016 as a

reliever In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather ...

Chicago Cubs

On July 20, 2016, the

traded Montgomery and prospect Jordan Pries to the

for prospects Daniel Vogelbach and Paul Blackburn. After allowing a three-run home run to the first batter he faced as a Cub, Montgomery performed well during the remainder of the season. He pitched in 17 games (including five starts), with a 2.82 ERA with the Cubs. Montgomery had a strong postseason performance in 2016, playing an instrumental role in the team's championship run. Cumulatively he went 1-1, including 11 appearances, innings pitched, and a 3.14 ERA. Most notably, Montgomery relieved Carl Edwards Jr. in the bottom of the 10th inning in Game 7 of the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

. With a runner on first base and two outs in a one-run game, he finished the game with a ground out to third base. Montgomery earned his first career save, winning the World Series for the Chicago Cubs for the first time in 108 years. In 2017, Montgomery made 44 appearances (14 starts), and a 3.38 ERA for the season. His record was 7-8, along with three saves. His performance through mid-May was exceptional, with his ERA dropping to 1.08. After gradually rising to 4.01 in mid-July, it leveled out in the remainder of the season. Montgomery hit his first career home run off

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

pitcher

R. A. Dickey Robert Allen Dickey (born October 29, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Bra ...

on July 19. In contrast with his 2016 performance, Montgomery struggled in the 2017 post-season. Between the division series against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

and the league championship series against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

, Montgomery had five appearances and innings pitched. He allowed three home runs, finishing with a 16.62 postseason ERA. In 2018, Montgomery had a 5-6 record with a 3.99 ERA in 124 innings. He started the 2019 season with a 1-2 record and a 5.67 ERA in 27 innings.

Kansas City Royals (second stint)

On July 15, 2019, it was reported that Montgomery had been traded back to the Royals, with the Cubs receiving catcher Martín Maldonado in exchange. Despite Montgomery being primarily a reliever and spot starter during his major league career, the Royals used him exclusively as a starting pitcher. He made 13 starts and pitched 64 innings while winning two games and losing seven. With the 2020 Kansas City Royals, Montgomery appeared in 3 games, compiling a 0-0 record with 5.06 ERA and 4 strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched. On October 30, 2020, Montgomery was outrighted off the Royals roster and became a free agent instead of accepting a Triple-A assignment.

New York Mets

On February 14, 2021, Montgomery signed a minor league contract with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

with an invitation to spring training. On March 28, 2021, Montgomery was released by the Mets.

New York Yankees

On April 5, 2021, Montgomery signed a minor league contract with the

organization. On June 1, Montgomery opted out of his minor league contract and became a free agent. He had recorded a 7.56 ERA in 4 games for the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

Samsung Lions

On June 1, 2021, Montgomery agreed to a contract with the

Samsung Lions The Samsung Lions () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in the southeastern city of Daegu and are members of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Daegu Samsung Lions Park. They have won the Korean Champ ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

. During a game on September 10, Montgomery was warned about the league's 12-second pitch rule and subsequently ejected. In response to his ejection, Montgomery struck an umpire with a rosin bag, and threw his uniform on the field of play before retreating to the clubhouse. Montgomery was not re-signed for the 2022 season and became a free agent.

New York Mets (second stint)

On March 15, 2022, Montgomery signed a minor league contract to return to the

. He made 22 appearances (17 starts) for the Triple-A

Syracuse Mets The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which open ...

, struggling to a 2-10 record and 6.72 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 69.2 innings pitched. He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.

Acereros de Monclova

On February 2, 2023, Montgomery signed with the

of the

Personal life

Montgomery and his wife, Stephanie, were married in August 2018 during a Cubs off-day. Their first child, a son, was born April 2019.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, Mike 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Santa Clarita, California Baseball players from California Major League Baseball pitchers KBO League pitchers Seattle Mariners players Chicago Cubs players Kansas City Royals players Samsung Lions players Arizona League Royals players Burlington Bees players Wilmington Blue Rocks players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Durham Bulls players Tacoma Rainiers players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Surprise Rafters players Salt River Rafters players American expatriate baseball players in South Korea People from Valencia, Santa Clarita, California