The 2020 season was a big step forward for Yankees lefty Jordan Montgomery.
The 27-year-old posted mediocre numbers with a 5.11 ERA and 1.295 WHIP, but more important than his stats was the fact that the 6-foot-6 lefthander was able to make 11 starts in the shortened 60-game season, showing no ill effects from his 2018 Tommy John surgery that limited him to just two appearances in 2019.
Speaking with the YES Network on Thursday night, Montgomery spoke about how he felt the 2020 season went for him, saying that he was also able to raise his velocity with a mechanical tweak.
“I’m pretty happy with it,” Montgomery said. “As crazy as it was, there was really no such thing as a schedule or a routine. You just kind of got the ball whenever you got it. Excited to have fans in the stands again and get back to a long season to get after it with the team.
“[There were] a couple of movement patterns I was working on, getting in better positions, and really that just gave my arm a little more life. I’m still working on it. It kind of didn’t stick as much as I wanted to. I got away from it a little bit at the end of the season, but just trying to get more reps and get muscle memory doing the right things.”
But perhaps the most important facet of Montgomery’s 2020 campaign was that he was finally able to make his first career playoff start, allowing just one earned run on three hits over 4.0 innings of work in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Rays.
The Yankees had their backs against the walls that night, facing elimination against their AL East Rivals. Manager Aaron Boone had enough confidence in the man they call Gumby to give him the ball, and Montgomery delivered a solid performance as the Yankees went on to a 5-1 win.
JORDAN MONTGOMERY INTERVIEW:
Jordan Montgomery recalls the 2020 season, his playoff start and coming back from injury with @M_Marakovits. pic.twitter.com/w7AXPAoc3G
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) December 4, 2020
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].