South Carolina Baseball: Former Gamecock was DEALING in huge postseason win

South Carolina baseball alum Jordan Montgomery finished his career in garnet and black as one of the very best left-handed pitchers to ever wear the interlocking SC on his hat. The big man called “Gumby” parlayed his collegiate success into becoming a 4th round pick of the New York Yankees.

After several successful seasons with the Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals, Montgomery was traded at the 2023 MLB trade deadline to the Texas Rangers. The move was part of an “all-in” push from the Rangers toward pursuing a World Series.

Texas won a Wild Card spot in the 2023 MLB Playoffs, and Montgomery was labeled as one of the top players to watch in the postseason by Major League Baseball. Heading into the Rangers’ Wild Card Series matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays, Montgomery was tabbed as the game 1 starter.

The South Carolina baseball legend delivered for his new team in a big way.

Playing on the road in Tampa (actually, St. Petersburg, but that’s neither here nor there), Montgomery shut down the Rays to give his team the lead in the best-of-three series. Monty surrendered six hits and zero walks through seven shutout innings to pick up the huge win on Tuesday night.

It was Montgomery’s second start ever in the postseason and just his third appearance. He has now pitched 13 2/3 innings of postseason baseball while giving up just one run. However, the Sumter, South Carolina native was used to pitching on the big stage, having pitched in the College World Series (including the Championship Series) during his time in garnet and black.

Montgomery’s Rangers are just one win away from advancing to the American League Divisional Series. If Texas advances, Montgomery appears set to start again, perhaps in game 1. A win over the Rays will match up the Rangers with the top-seeded Baltimore Orioles.

Fellow Gamecock (and former teammate in Columbia) Christian Walker went 3-4 with a 2-RBI double in the 9th inning of the Arizona Diamondbacks win over the Milwaukee Brewers in game 1 of the Wild Card Series.