As if missing the playoffs wasn’t bad enough for their fans to endure, the New York Yankees were again reminded of one that got away after Game 1 of the ALCS between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros.

Rangers starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery tossed 6.1 shutout innings in a series-opening win, stifling the Astros offense for five hits, all singles. He struck out six batters and retired the last eight he faced en route to his second victory this postseason.

Montgomery spent the first five and a half seasons of his MLB career with the Yankees who drafted him in the fourth round in 2014. He was mostly a backend rotation starter and went through some rough patches in NY, though he left the Yankees with a 3.94 ERA in 98 appearances (97 starts) when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in August 2022.

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The Yankees were in the midst of a pennant chase and needed some outfield help. They decided to swap Montgomery, who they did not foresee being a part of their playoff rotation, for Harrison Bader.

Since the trade, Montgomery has been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. He has posted a 3.17 ERA in 43 starts since the move and has a 1.80 ERA in four postseason appearances, three of them starts.

In his first career postseason start earlier this month, Montgomery shut out the Tampa Bay Rays through seven innings, propelling the Rangers to a Game 1 win in the wild card round. His latest dominant display against the defending World Series champions will have Yankees fans scratching their heads.