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Yankees sign lefty who recorded final out of 2016 World Series

Adam Weinrib|
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 17: Mike Montgomery #38 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on May 17, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 17: Mike Montgomery #38 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on May 17, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

There should be no question about the latest Yankees signee’s ability to pitch in high-pressure situations.

After all, he locked down potentially the highest-pressure out in MLB history, considering the 108 years of turmoil that preceded it.

Per FanSided’s Robert Murray, the Yankees have locked in lefty Mike Montgomery, still a free agent after Opening Day thanks to his release by the New York Mets during their final roster cuts.

Mets reject? Technically, but Montgomery’s MLB story goes much deeper than that.

Prior to his briefest of tenures with the Metropolitans, Montgomery was far better known for being one of the Royals prospects who helped to lead that team back to relevance, as well as the man on the mound for the Chicago Cubs at the tail end of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.

He induced Michael Martinez to ground out to Kris Bryant, and the rest is history — in the literal sense.

The Yankees have signed lefty Mike Montgomery.

Presumably, Montgomery (the second Monty in town) will report to the team’s Alternate Site. After all, we can’t imagine Brian Cashman is that dissatisfied with “feel good story” Lucas Luetge that he felt the need to make a veteran panic move.

Montgomery’s recent struggles belie his strong career ERA of 3.84, and as recently as 2018, the lefty was tossing an above-average season in Chicago at the age of 28, registering an ERA+ of 104.

The year prior? A remarkable 130.

Ironically, the Yankees may finally have found the solution to Aroldis Chapman’s postseason struggles by acquiring the man who caddied for him and cleaned up his mess in perhaps his most prominent playoff failure — lost to the sands of time, of course, thanks in part to Montgomery’s work.

Surely, we’ll learn more about the transaction in a matter of minutes, but this low-impact signing could pay dividends down the road.

After all, did anyone anticipate squeezing innings out of Luetge? Montgomery has a much larger pedigree.

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