The Pirates didn’t spend the early part of the season feeling great about late leads. That part has changed fast, and Mason Montgomery is the reason.
The left-hander locked down his 24th straight scoreless outing with a save in Pittsburgh’s 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals at PNC Park on Sept. 20, wrapping up a series sweep in the process. That run is now the longest single-season scoreless streak by any Pirates pitcher in the Modern Era, topping Mark Melancon’s 23 straight scoreless appearances in 2015.
Montgomery has turned himself into exactly what the Pirates needed at the back end. He’s not just finishing games right now - he looks like a closer the club can build around.
The last damage he allowed came on July 26, when Chicago Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki launched a two-run homer off him in the ninth inning at PNC Park. Montgomery left a curveball in the middle of the zone, and Suzuki drove it into the left-field bleachers, though Montgomery still came away with the save.
That was only his second save of the season at the time, but it didn’t knock him off course. Since then, he’s been rolling. Over his last 24 appearances, he has allowed just nine hits, seven walks and two intentional walks while striking out 34 across 23.2 innings.
The numbers put him among the best relievers in baseball during that stretch. He’s tied for the most saves with 14, and he ranks fifth in batting average against (.111) and WHIP (0.68). September has been even sharper: he leads MLB with nine saves this month and has posted a .143 BAA and a 0.87 WHIP, putting him in the mix for National League Relief Pitcher of the Month.
Pittsburgh got Montgomery in an offseason trade with the Tampa Bay Rays that also brought in second baseman Brandon Lowe and outfielder Jake Mangum. He didn’t arrive as the finished product. Through his first three months of 2026, Montgomery had a 4.68 ERA in 33 games and 32.2 innings, with a .236 BAA and a 1.41 WHIP.
The turnaround started with a shift in what he was throwing. Working with Pirates pitching coach Bill Murphy, Montgomery kept the four-seam fastball and slider in the mix but added the curveball and, more importantly, the two-seamer/sinker. Over the last two months, he’s used the two-seamer more than half the time, while his four-seam usage has dropped to about a quarter and the curveball and slider each sit below 20%.
That sinker has become a major part of the story. Montgomery has allowed only six hits on it this season, and it’s been a big reason the scoreless streak has lasted this long.
The Pirates have leaned on him heavily, too. He’s pitched in 10 of their last 18 games, and he showed on Sept. 17 against the Milwaukee Brewers that he can handle more than the usual one-inning save chance, throwing a four-out save to help Pittsburgh avoid a sweep against a division rival.
“You know, I’d say it’s just given me more confidence and knowing that, if I stay consistent with my processes and my routines, trust my stuff, trust who I am as a pitcher, I can have success," Montgomery said after his outing.
For Pittsburgh, the payoff goes beyond this season. Montgomery has four more years of team control through the 2030 season, giving the Pirates a late-inning piece they can count on moving forward.
He and setup man Luke Weaver look like a strong pairing for next season, and the bullpen picture also includes long relievers Lake Bachar, Carmen Mlodzinski and Yohan Ramírez, along with younger arms who will be trying to make their case in 2027.
The Pirates won’t reach the playoffs this year, but Montgomery’s rise gives them something real to point to heading into next season: a closer who’s already showing he can finish the job.
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The setup gives the Pirates a real chance to claim the series, but it also leaves little margin for error. With the rotation thinned out, the early innings become especially important, and the club will be counting on the bullpen to hold the line long enough to keep the matchup from slipping away in a series that still hangs in the balance. [Read more 🡒]