Jordan Montgomery is finally starting games for the New York Yankees after a lengthy recovery from Tommy John surgery.
Sunday is the culmination of a lot of behind-the-scenes work done by Jordan Montgomery. The New York Yankees will have the left-hander in pinstripes take the mound for the first time since May 1, 2018.
Montgomery heard those dreaded three words: Tommy John surgery. The long and arduous recovery process had its fair share of up and downs according to Montgomery.
“I probably will be (emotional),” Montgomery told Meredith Marakovitz of YES Network. “The minor leagues was a lot of adrenaline, just because you’re so excited to be back out there. So I’m just trying to stay cool and slow the game down and throw strikes.
“It was a roller coaster. You’re feeling so good and then I hit that roadblock with my shoulder and you’ll feel good, you’ll feel sore. It’s just up and down, up and down. I was lucky to have my family, my girlfriend, a bunch of coaches and teammates reach out for me and kind of just keep my sanity.”
In 35 career starts, Montgomery has a 3.84 ERA with a 1.248 WHIP. The 26-year-old lefty features five different pitches. He sprinkles in sliders, changeups, and four-seam fastballs. However, his go-to pitches are his sinker and his big sweeping curveball.
Montgomery has no postseason experience, but he has an outside chance to secure a spot on the playoff roster. A solid showing over the final two weeks of the season could give Montgomery an edge over the other lefty starters—CC Sabathia and J.A. Happ.
Despite the fact that he’s battling tooth and nail, Sabathia’s knee is in shambles. Happ is riding a current hot streak, but has been marred by inconsistency all season.
At the very least, there’s a small sliver of hope for Montgomery’s playoff chances. How he pitches on Sunday will factor into manager Aaron Boone‘s ultimate decision.
