Braden Montgomery hit a walk-off two-run homer in his MLB debut, and hours later he was still clearly not “calmed down” as the White Sox beat the Braves again while he juggled nonstop messages and family celebrations.
CHICAGO — By the time Braden Montgomery returned to Rate Field on Wednesday, the glow from his major league debut the night before was already taking on a different shape. The high was still there. It just wasn’t fading.
Montgomery. 23. capped a 2-for-5 performance with a game-ending. two-run homer in the 10th inning to lift the Chicago White Sox to a 6-5 win over the Atlanta Braves. It was a rare kind of entry into MLB history: Montgomery became the fifth player in major league baseball to hit a walk-off homer in his debut. joining Billy Parker (1971). Josh Bard (2002). Miguel Cabrera (2015) and Carlos Pérez (2023).
Even as he walked back into the same stadium the next night, he didn’t try to pretend the moment had settled.
“I don’t know if I would be considered calmed down at this point,” Montgomery said. “Just been enjoying it, sharing it with my family.”
White Sox manager Will Venable said he wasn’t worried about the rookie getting ahead of himself after one game.
“We haven’t had anybody with a debut like that. but I think he’s as grounded as they come. ” Venable said. “This is a guy that has really high expectations of himself. I’m sure he envisioned himself doing this, what he did last night. To be honest, his idea of what he can do in this league is as high as anybody else’s. It was exactly what he expected.”.
Wednesday’s game against Atlanta ended differently, but Montgomery stayed in the middle of it. He didn’t slow down as the White Sox won 2-1, hitting two doubles and scoring the first run.
“He just goes up there with extreme confidence, putting really good swings on pitches,” Venable said. “I think his swing decisions have been great. He’s a very talented hitter and for him to come up and be so comfortable and be locked in and show what he’s able to do early has been awesome.”
Between games, Montgomery was still living inside the whirlwind of recognition. On the start of his second day of his big league career, he was responding to the text messages that kept coming.
“The number shrinks and grows as I answer them, but more come in,” Montgomery said.
He also spent time with his parents and family, who were sitting behind home plate on Wednesday night. His mother, Gretchen Montgomery Willock, posted a video of the family celebration from the stands after the debut, and it went viral on social media.
On Wednesday, she followed up with a post: “Let me tell you about a dream I had last night.”
“It’s not really something you can imagine,” Montgomery said. “You just kind of go into it with your expectations and do whatever the game brings.”
Montgomery’s rise has been closely tracked since he was one of the top prospects in the White Sox organization. He was acquired from the Red Sox in the December 2024 trade that sent Garrett Crochet to Boston. Before the call-up, Montgomery was hitting .315 for Triple-A Charlotte.
His debut added to a broader youthful shift for Chicago. Montgomery became the 12th White Sox rookie to debut this season, the second-highest total before the All-Star break since the 1944 Cincinnati Reds had 13, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
And those fresh faces have played a role in the White Sox’s recent momentum. The influx of youth has helped Chicago go 29-18 since April 17, second only to the New York Yankees (30-17), despite injuries to Munetaka Murakami and Everson Pereira, among others.
The team is still adjusting around those absences. The White Sox are 5-4 since Murakami, a rookie from Japan who leads the team with 20 homers, injured his right hamstring on May 29.
Colson Montgomery joined the injury list Tuesday. He is day to day with a sore back and was not in the lineup Wednesday. The second-year shortstop, a relative veteran of 135 MLB games, described how the younger players have been carrying the energy of the moment.
“You get up here. and it’s like. these are my boys. my teammates. this is nothing new. ” Colson Montgomery said. “That’s why a lot of our young rookie guys are coming up here and they’re thriving because they’re just being themselves and they know they can be themselves. … We have a lot of guys in the minor leagues who are coming up and they’re ready to show their impact.”.
Braden Montgomery Chicago White Sox Atlanta Braves walk-off homer MLB debut Will Venable Munetaka Murakami Garrett Crochet December 2024 trade Rate Field
Dude hit a walk-off in his debut and still not calm? That’s wild.
I feel like they always say “grounded” after one crazy game lol. Like give him 2 weeks and he’ll be posting highlights every 10 minutes. Also Rate Field sounds like a theme park name.
So he’s still “wired” hours later… that means he’s probably on something, right? Not accusing, just saying. Walk-off homer, then can’t calm down, then he’s jugglin messages and family stuff… seems like a lot for 10th inning nerves.
Honestly I don’t even watch the White Sox like that but I saw this headline. Walk-off homer in debut?? That Carlos Perez guy too? I feel like MLB should be cooler about pressure though. Like he said he doesn’t know if he’s calmed down, but that’s kinda the whole point, right? Maybe he’ll be fine, maybe he’s about to burn out.