Montgomery (5-3) picked up the win Wednesday against the Tigers, giving up two hits and striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning.
The southpaw reliever worked a clean top of the ninth with the Pirates down 3-2 and got rewarded when Rafael Flores and Brandon Lowe both took Detroit closer Kenley Jansen deep for a walk-off win. Montgomery has reeled off nine straight scoreless appearances, picking up two wins and three saves in that stretch with a 0.63 WHIP and an eye-popping 17:2 K:BB over eight innings as Pittsburgh's top high-leverage option.
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Pirates' Mason Montgomery: Fans two for fifth save of 2026
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Montgomery earned the save in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Tigers, striking out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning.
Braxton Ashcraft took care of business through the first eight innings on just 80 pitches, but the Pirates turned to Montgomery to keep the team's lead safe. The first batter reached base safely on a throwing error, but Montgomery proceeded to strike out the next two hitters he faced before closing the game with a groundout. He's earned the save in three of his last five outings and has not yielded a run over his last eight appearances. Montgomery has a 3.47 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 49.1 innings this season.
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Pirates' Mason Montgomery: Notches fourth save
Rotowire
Montgomery recorded his fourth save of the season in Friday's 8-4 win over the Red Sox, striking out the only batter he faced.
After Luke Weaver worked a perfect eighth inning, Kirby Yates got the call in the ninth to protect a five-run lead but ran into trouble with two outs, forcing manager Don Kelly to turn to Montgomery with the tying run in the on-deck circle. Despite the Pirates' veteran bullpen additions at the trade deadline, it's Montgomery who's collected the team's last two saves and three of the last four, with Gregory Soto getting the other. Montgomery has more than earned a shot at the full-time closer role -- he's been scored upon just once in his last 17 appearances dating back to June 29, producing a 1.15 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and 32:6 K:BB in just 15.2 innings over that dominant stretch.
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Pirates' Mason Montgomery: Shuts door for third save
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Montgomery secured the save Monday against the Brewers, allowing one hit and no walks in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out three.
Montgomery notably entered the game after Gregory Soto and new addition Camilo Doval on Monday. The Pirates will also soon be adding another high-leverage option in Luke Weaver, acquired from the Mets at the trade deadline, so the team's closer hierarchy could undergo a shake-up. Montgomery has a 3.72 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 72:21 K:BB over 46 innings with three saves in five chances.
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Pirates' Mason Montgomery: Escapes with second save
Rotowire
Montgomery secured the save Sunday against the Cubs, allowing two runs on two hits and no walks in the ninth inning. He struck out two.
It was interesting to see Pittsburgh deploy Montgomery in the ninth over Gregory Soto, who's been the club's primary closer this season and last worked Friday. Montgomery appears to be working his way up the bullpen ladder following the departure of Dennis Santana, but he barely survived Sunday and needed every bit of the 8-5 lead he was granted. Through 42.1 innings, Montgomery has a 4.04 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 65:19 K:BB with two saves in two chances.
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Pirates' Mason Montgomery: Tagged with blown save, loss
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Montgomery (2-2) was tagged with the loss and his second blown save of the season Friday against the Rockies. He allowed two runs on three hits over two-thirds of an inning, striking out one.
Montgomery entered the game with the Pirates holding a 3-2 lead and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. He retired TJ Rumfield with a groundout, but back-to-back singles from Tyler Freeman and Cole Carrigg set up Braxton Fulford, who gave the Rockies the lead with the game-winning hit -- a two-run double on a line drive to center. Montgomery then struck out Ezequiel Tovar, but the damage was already done. The 26-year-old southpaw has been inconsistent of late. He was on a run of four consecutive scoreless outings before this game, but he's also given up multiple runs in three of his last seven appearances. He has a 7.94 ERA and 2.29 WHIP across six outings (5.2 innings) since the beginning of June.
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Pirates' Mason Montgomery: Set to open Monday's contest
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Montgomery will operate as the Pirates' opening pitcher in Monday's series opener against the Cardinals, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Montgomery will serve as Pittsburgh's opener for the second time this season, having tossed a scoreless first inning in the team's 2-0 win over Washington on April 15. The southpaw has recorded seven straight scoreless appearances, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out 11 over 6.2 innings during that stretch. Wilber Dotel is expected to follow Montgomery on the mound, handling the bulk role against St. Louis on Monday.
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Pirates' Mason Montgomery: Missing bats, rounding into form
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Montgomery has earned one win and three holds while posting a 7.11 ERA, 2.05 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB over 6.1 innings in seven appearances for the Pirates this season.
The ratios look ugly, but Montgomery has been better lately, allowing just one run with an 8:1 K:BB over his last four appearances. Acquired from Tampa Bay in the Brandon Lowe trade, Montgomery brings the heat from the left side (98.5 mph average fastball) and his breaking pitches all have whiff rates of 42 percent or higher. With manager Don Kelly keeping roles fluid at the back end of the bullpen, the door is open for Montgomery to eventually pick up some saves for Pittsburgh.
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Pirates' Mason Montgomery: Lands with Pirates in trade
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The Pirates acquired Montgomery from the Rays on Friday in a three-team trade, Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report.
Montgomery logged a 5.67 ERA and walked 27 over 46 innings with the Rays in 2025, but he also struck out 63 batters and, at 98.7 mph, has one of the hardest average four-seamer velocities in the game. The lefty has past starting experience, but the Pirates are likely to keep Montgomery in the bullpen, and he could work his way into high-leverage appearances.
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Rays' Mason Montgomery: Optioned after poor relief outing
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The Rays optioned Montgomery to Triple-A Durham on Thursday.
Montgomery was dinged for five runs while recording just two outs in Wednesday's loss to the White Sox, and he finds himself back in the minors a day later. The Rays are adding a couple fresh relief arms after a bullpen game Wednesday.
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Rays' Mason Montgomery: Up with Rays
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The Rays recalled Montgomery from Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Montgomery returns to the 26-man roster for the first time since being sent down to Triple-A on July 7. The 25-year-old has a 5.74 ERA in 31.1 innings with Tampa Bay but posted a 1.80 ERA in five innings at Durham.
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Rays' Mason Montgomery: Sent down to minors
Rotowire
The Rays optioned Montgomery to Triple-A Durham on Monday.
Montgomery allowed two runs while recording just one out in Sunday's win over the Twins and has posted a disappointing 5.74 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 41:19 K:BB over 31.1 innings this season. The hard-throwing lefty will look to improve his command and control at Durham.
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Rays' Mason Montgomery: Picks up first save
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Montgomery retired the only batter he faced to pick up the save in Tuesday's win over the Blue Jays.
Montgomery entered with two outs in the ninth to face Daulton Varsho and got him to fly out to end the game. Pete Fairbanks began the inning and gave up two runs, which allowed Montgomery to earn the first save of his career. The lefty has now turned in six consecutive scoreless outings and hasn't allowed a hit over that span.
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Rays' Mason Montgomery: Moved to bullpen at Triple-A
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Montgomery has struck out six batters while allowing four hits and no walks over four scoreless innings across four appearances for Triple-A Durham since moving back to the bullpen Aug. 8.
Montgomery opened the season in Durham's rotation, but after going 0-7 as a starter, he shifted to a relief role and has notched two saves so far this season. Overall, Montgomery has covered 82 innings this season, logging a 6.70 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 91:31 K:BB. In spite of his struggles as a starter, Montgomery still ranks among Durham's leaders in generating swings and misses (13.8 SwStr%).
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Rays' Mason Montgomery: Dominant in two Double-A starts
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Montgomery has a 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in six innings through two starts with Double-A Montgomery.
The 22-year-old lefty was excellent in 11 starts at Double-A last year, sporting a 2.48 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 53 strikeouts in 54.1 innings. Montgomery is one of the most underrated pitching prospects in the minors, as he has a dominant fastball that plays above its low-90s velocity -- like a left-handed Joe Ryan -- in addition to a plus changeup. He should get a bump to Triple-A Durham sometime this season and could spend most of 2024 in the majors.
