Braden Montgomery lifts White Sox over Braves with walk-off homer in his MLB debut

CHICAGO, June 9 (local time) - Braden Montgomery’s first Major League appearance ended the way most rookies dream it might, with one swing and one swing only. In the bottom of the 10th, after two outs and with the game on the line, Montgomery launched a walk-off home run off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias to give the White Sox a 6-5 victory.

According to MLB’s game report, it was Montgomery’s second hit of the night. He became just the fifth player in Major League history to hit a walk-off homer in his debut, joining Carlos Perez (2015), Miguel Cabrera (2003), Josh Bard (2002), and Billy Parker (1971). The “when” mattered as much as the “what,” with the blast coming in the only frame where it counted and from an opposing pitcher in the role Chicago usually tries to avoid.

Chicago entered the day with the kind of standings urgency that turns debut moments into statement wins. MLB reported that the victory moved the White Sox within a half-game of Cleveland for the American League Central lead. The same report noted Chicago had improved to 35-31, and that it was one game up in the loss column. At home, the White Sox were also building momentum, going 17-3 over their previous 20 games at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The Braves got on the board early and forced Chicago to rally. MLB’s recap said Atlanta jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Matt Olson’s two-run homer off Chicago’s opener, Brandon Eisert, and that Olson later hit a second home run. Atlanta’s advantage grew to 4-0 in the third, even after the first two White Sox hitters were retired on three pitches from Grant Holmes, setting up a game that would require more than a one-inning fix.

The White Sox answer began with power of their own. In the bottom of the third, Sam Antonacci drew a walk, and Miguel Vargas followed with a two-run homer, his 16th of the season, cutting Atlanta’s lead in half. The game tightened from there, with Montgomery getting his first hit of the night by singling to drive in a run in the fourth. Jacob Gonzalez added a run later, tying the game with a single in the seventh, leaving the outcome to extra innings.

That extra-inning setup brought Iglesias into the ninth or 10th profile that closers carry in the late game. MLB’s recap framed it as a classic two-out finish, where everything changes after the final out is one pitch away. Montgomery was able to turn that scenario into the first big-league signature that counts most, a walk-off homer that completed Chicago’s late comeback.

For Chicago, the short-term story is obvious, a debut that delivered two outs, one swing, and a standings boost. The longer-term watch is how the White Sox integrate Montgomery into day-to-day lineup decisions after a night like this, and how they protect late-game leads when they are playing in tight quarters in the AL Central race. For Atlanta, the loss underscores how even established late-inning roles can be overturned by a rookie’s first high-leverage moment, and it keeps the focus on execution as the season moves deeper into its playoff picture shape.