2024 has been kind to the New York Yankees; through 62 games, they are tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in the MLB, at 43-19. And it seems like turning things around after a substandard 2023 isn't limited to the current Yankees roster. Even former members of the franchise appear to be benefitting from the clean slate a new season has brought upon them. On Tuesday night, former Yankees starting pitcher, Frankie Montas, had one of the best games of his career in a 4-1 win for his Cincinnati Reds over the Colorado Rockies.
Montas, despite pitching away from home and in Coors Field, one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the MLB, no less, was on a roll. He pitched seven innings, allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out nine, and he blanked the Rockies in his time on the mound. And in so doing, the former Yankees pitcher made some history.
Frankie Montas, according to OptaSTATS on Twitter (X), became just the first player in MLB history to throw at least seven shutout innings as a visiting pitcher in Coors Field while striking out at least nine and allowing no more than one hit.
The 31-year old former Yankees starter was not exactly having a stellar season prior to his electric start in Coors Field on Tuesday. Montas was pitching to the tune of a 4.60 ERA for the Reds in 2024 entering Tuesday night, which is mostly backed up by his mediocre peripherals. But with one stellar performance, he has brought his ERA way down to 4.00.
Montas certainly has the velocity to befuddle hitters on some occasions, and it just so happened that he found his groove in a convincing 4-1 Reds victory that moves them to 28-33 on the year — just two games out of the third Wild Card spot in the NL.
Frankie Montas pitches one of the best games of his career out of nowhere
As mentioned above, Frankie Montas had an ERA in the high 4s entering Tuesday night. The past few starts have been a struggle for the Reds starter. Over his past four games, Montas has allowed 14 earned runs in 21.2 innings of work, which is good for an ERA of 5.82. In fact, he has only allowed fewer than three runs in three of his 10 starts until that point of the season, and in one of those starts, he had to exit after just two outs due to an injury.
Montas' peripherals on the mound have been shoddy as well. Before his gem against the Rockies, he struck out only 33 batters against 18 walks in 47 innings of work for a strikeout to walk ratio of 1.83, his worst since 2017. Thus, his 4.60 ERA on the season was warranted, as seen in his fielding-independent pitching of 5.07 and xFIP of 4.95.
But on Tuesday, Frankie Montas had everything clicking. In the first inning, it certainly looked like he was going to lead the Reds to victory with his fastball. He struck out two of the Rockies hitters in the first with his heater, setting the tone for his dominant night.
All in all, Montas struck out six with his fastball, one with his cutter, one with his splitter, and one with his slider, putting his entire pitch mix in full display. The Reds starter kept everyone off balance through the night, and as a result, he threw the second-best game of his career, based off game score, although it's worth mentioning that he did all of this while pitching in Coors Field — the most hitter-friendly park in the majors.
As good as Montas was, the Yankees are still in great shape
In 2022, the Yankees acquired Frankie Montas from the Oakland Athletics in preparation for a playoff run. Montas, however, struggled while donning the pinstripes. In eight starts with the Yankees in 2022, Montas tallied a 6.35 ERA in 39.2 innings of work. As a result, the Yankees brought him off the pen in the playoffs, and he pitched a total of one inning in the postseason.
2023 was then an even more trying year for Montas. He pitched just 1.1 innings last season after a shoulder injury that required surgery limited him. Montas then entered free agency and the Yankees let him go, paving the way for the Reds to pick him up on a one-year, $16 million deal with a $20 million mutual option for 2025.
The Yankees, however, have done nothing but thrive even if they let Montas go. Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt have been phenomenal, while Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodon, and Marcus Stroman have all been solid, allowing the Yankees to hold the fort amid Gerrit Cole's injury.
Now, with Cole inching closer to a return to the mound, things are only going to get better for the Yankees from here.
