Making a major league debut is usually a memorable occasion.
For Brayden Montgomery, his first game had a unique twist—it was definitely something he wouldn’t forget.
On Tuesday night, Montgomery hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning, helping the Chicago White Sox secure a 6-5 win over the Braves.
After the Braves managed to take a 5-4 lead during the early part of the extra inning, the White Sox struggled with a couple of outs without finding the scoreboard, but then free runner Andrew Benintendi advanced to third base.
Earlier in the game, Montgomery contributed an RBI during the fourth inning. As he faced Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, he had a chance to make an impact.
He connected beautifully with Iglesias’s second pitch—an off-speed offering—and sent it soaring over the left-field wall, landing in the White Sox bullpen and bouncing into a thrilled crowd.
Adding to the significance of this game, renowned sports commentator Bob Costas provided play-by-play for a throwback broadcast by the Chicago Sports Network.
“I hit the ball to the left and it came back near the wall. It went over the wall and hit the game-winning home run!” Costas exclaimed. “What do you think? Talk about theater!”
Montgomery, grinning as he rounded the bases, was soon buried under a pile of celebrating teammates at home plate, with fireworks lighting up the night sky before he was doused in Gatorade.
His debut performance was outstanding, featuring two hits and three RBIs.
With this dramatic entrance, Montgomery became only the fifth player since 1900 to hit a walk-off home run in his MLB debut, as noted by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
Montgomery, ranked as the No. 21 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, was an important piece in the trade that sent pitcher Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox prior to the 2025 season.
He had shown promise with 10 home runs and a .970 OPS during his time between Double-A and Triple-A before making his mark on the Southside this year.
