South Carolina Baseball teammates to meet in the World Series

South Carolina baseball alums have a long history of greatness in Major League Baseball. A number of Gamecocks have become National League and American League All-Stars, and even more have won World Series rings.

In the 2018 MLB Postseason, Gamecock power hitter Steve Pearce won the World Series MVP for the champion Boston Red Sox, and his Boston teammate Jackie Bradley, Jr. won the ALCS MVP. In the two series, Pearce and Bradley combined to reach base 27 times and hit 7 home runs, score 13 runs, and drive in 19 more.

In the 2023 MLB Postseason, a couple of Gamecocks have starred in each league.

In the National League, first baseman Christian Walker had a great start to the postseason, reaching base 10 times in his Arizona Diamondbacks’ first five games (two sweeps of the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite cooling off some against the Philadelphia Phillies with just two hits, he reached base eight more times with walks to help the D-Backs advance to the World Series.

In the American League, lefty Jordan Montgomery has been one of the best pitchers in the entire MLB Postseason. Gumby has gone 3-0 in 5 appearances (3 of them scoreless), and he has been the top starter for a Texas Ranger squad that swept the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles before knocking off the defending champion Houston Astros.

Now, the former Gamecock teammates will face off in the World Series, likely in Game 1. Nothing has been announced yet, but it appears as if Jordan Montgomery will toe the rubber in the first game of the World Series. With Christian Walker slotted in the 4th spot of the Arizona lineup, their first matchup could come in the very first inning.

So far in their respective MLB careers, Montgomery and Walker have faced off six times. Walker has one hit (a double), an RBI, and two strikeouts in those six plate appearances. All six of the at-bats came in two games this season, one when Montgomery was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals and one after he had been traded to the Texas Rangers.

The World Series will begin on Friday, October 27th at 8:00 on Fox.