World Series Champion to Make Season Debut Against Giants on Friday

World Series champion Jordan Montgomery will take the mound for the first time this season as he faces off against Blake Snell and the San Francisco Giants.

Kade Kistner | Apr 19, 2024

Nov 1, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (52) celebrates / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

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San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are off to a rough start in the first 20 games of the 2024 MLB season. At 9-11, the Giants are not where they expected to be after making two key marquee free agent signings this past winter in Matt Chapman and Blake Snell.

The latter will take the mound on Friday evening hoping to rebound off of an 0-2 start in which he has completed just 7.0 innings pitched and owns a 12.86 ERA. However, he may have a hard time as he is slated to face the reigning National League champions in the Arizona Diamondbacks.

But the cards are seemingly stacked against San Francisco even further on Friday as World Series champion Jordan Montgomery is scheduled to make his season debut for the Diamondbacks after singing a one-year, $25 million deal late into MLB Spring Training.

The southpaw was one of the most impactful MLB trade deadline acquisitions last season when the Texas Rangers added him from the St. Louis Cardinals. His 2.79 ERA over 67.2 innings pitched to end the season with the Rangers helped propel Texas into a postseason spot.

But where Montgomery really shined was in the ALCS against the Rangers' vaunted in-state rivals the Houston Astros. During that series, Montgomery threw 14.0 innings while compiling a sterling 1.29 ERA and sending Texas to their third World Series appearance.

He will now face the Giants for his first start of the season. San Francisco has an excellent opportunity to show some grit and begin their fight back to .500. Against a divisional foe, this early season matchup between the two NL West teams and their two aces could be a preview of what is to come.

Friday night will be "must watch" baseball as Montgomery takes on Snell.

Published Apr 19, 2024

KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.