\u201cI was just trying to hit the ball and make contact, and the homer came,\u201d Quero said.<\/p>\n
Quero was behind the plate for starter Adrian Houser<\/a>, who allowed two runs (both unearned) on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks in eight fantastic innings.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sinker was the big pitch for me tonight,\u201d Houser said. \u201cWas able to get some early contact. And being able to sprinkle in that slider was a big help, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Grant Taylor struck out two in the ninth for his third save.<\/p>\n The Sox (29-59) showcased dominant pitching, timely hitting and solid defense to defeat the Rockies (20-68) in the opener of the three-game series between the teams with the worst records in baseball.<\/p>\n Montgomery factored in defensively from the start, fielding a grounder for the first out in the bottom of the first.<\/p>\n He went 0-for-2 at the plate, reaching base on catcher\u2019s interference and a walk. The catcher\u2019s interference came in the second.<\/p>\n \u201c(Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela\u2019s) fastball kind of got in on me a little bit, so I knew I had to be quick to it,\u201d Montgomery said of the sequence. \u201cIt was also two strikes, so I was also trying to see everything as deep as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Houser said Montgomery\u2019s over-the-shoulder grab, which came with runners on first and third and two outs in the second, was a \u201cmomentum changer.\u201d<\/p>\n Overall, Montgomery described the day as \u201cawesome.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the first ground ball I got at the beginning of the game \u2014 the game finds you \u2014 once I got that, I kind of settled in pretty quick,\u201d he said. \u201cHad good ABs. I was pretty happy with it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sox announced the promotion of their 2021 first-round pick to the majors before Friday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n Montgomery, 23, turned a productive June at Triple-A Charlotte into his first big-league opportunity. He was slashing .218\/.298\/.435 with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs in 55 games with the Knights, and he hit .281 with six homers and 16 RBIs in 16 June games.<\/p>\n In his last game for Charlotte, Montgomery came through with the winning hit in the ninth inning Wednesday for a 4-3 victory against Jacksonville.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest thing was we put together a plan and we went to execute that plan in the game,\u201d Montgomery said before Friday\u2019s game of the recent minor-league success. \u201cWe didn\u2019t try to do too much. I was playing carefree.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sox selected Montgomery with the No. 22 pick in the 2021 draft<\/a> out of Southridge High School in southern Indiana.\u00a0He has a .246\/.364\/.414 career slash line with 69 doubles, 48 home runs and 186 RBIs in 376 games during portions of five seasons in the Sox system.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a guy who\u2019s working extremely hard, he\u2019s had some adversity he had to go through in the minor leagues, which I think is going to serve him well,\u201d Venable said before the game. \u201cHe fought through that, got himself to a really good spot and forced his way to the big-league roster.\u201d<\/p>\n MLB.com ranks Montgomery as the No. 5 prospect<\/a> in the Sox organization and the No. 95 prospect<\/a> in all of baseball.<\/p>\n![\"White](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ctc-l-white-sox_a9cbc1.jpg\")
White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth, left, and shortstop Colson Montgomery celebrate after defeating the Rockies on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ctc-l-white-sox1-3.jpg\")
The White Sox’s Colson Montgomery lines out against Rockies starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela in the fourth inning Friday, July 4, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n