In the fifth inning of a home game against the Colorado Rockies on September 26, 2026, Colson Montgomery watched a Tomoyuki Sugano fastball cross the plate for a called third strike — and just like that, history was made. Strikeout number 224. A new MLB record for a position player in a single season. Mark Reynolds’ mark of 223, set with the Arizona Diamondbacks back in 2009, had stood for 17 years. It’s gone now.
The timing made everything stranger. This happened just 24 hours after the Chicago White Sox clinched their first playoff berth since 2021. It’s been quite a week in Chicago — one that’s genuinely hard to categorize.
How Montgomery Got There
The race to 223 was tight heading into the final weekend. Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies’ designated hitter, entered that stretch with 218 strikeouts — just five back. The two had actually tied at 216 the previous Sunday, but Montgomery pulled ahead with six strikeouts over two games in Kansas City. Then on Thursday, September 25 — the same 9-1 win over the Royals that punched Chicago’s postseason ticket — he tied Reynolds at 223.
The next afternoon against Colorado, Sugano delivered the fastball. Called strike three. Record broken.
White Sox GM Chris Getz acknowledged the awkwardness of the moment. «The strikeouts have caused him some frustration,» Getz told the Chicago Sun-Times. «But he can help the team. He’s been very consistent on the defensive side.»
The Strangest Record in Modern Baseball
Here’s the thing about Reynolds’ original record: it always came with a built-in alibi. In 2009, he hit .260 with 44 home runs, 102 RBI, and a 127 OPS+ — meaning he was 27% better than the average hitter that year. He struck out a lot because he hit a lot. Reynolds himself told The Athletic at some point in 2026 that he now views it as a kind of badge of honor.
Montgomery’s case rhymes with Reynolds in shape, but the numbers aren’t as clean. He has 31 home runs and 87 RBI in 151 games — real power, no question. But his batting average sits around .200, and his OPS at the time of the record stood at .696, below what you’d expect from an everyday shortstop. Since June 1, his OPS dropped to .615 with a strikeout rate of 39%. The first two months looked like a different player. What came after explains why the record fell where it did.
The Tools Are Real — So Is the Problem
What makes Montgomery’s profile both fascinating and frustrating is that the talent is undeniably there. His average bat speed of 76.6 mph ranks in the 94th percentile across all of MLB. The issue isn’t how hard he swings — it’s how rarely he actually connects.
His barrel rate of 12.2% sits in the 81st percentile — elite territory. But his squared-up rate is in the 1st percentile of the entire league. Translation: when he hits it well, he hits it really well. The problem is he almost never hits it well.
The Numbers Behind the Record
- Plate appearances: 629
- Home runs: 31 | RBI: 87
- AVG: .200 | OPS: .696
- xwOBA: .297 (what his contact quality suggests he «should» be producing)
- Average exit velocity: 88.6 mph
- Barrel rate: 12.2% — 81st percentile
- Hard-hit rate: 41.2% (balls hit 95+ mph)
- Average bat speed: 76.6 mph — 94th percentile
- Squared-up rate: 1st percentile
- Whiff rate: 1st percentile
The Statcast portrait is almost paradoxical: a hitter with elite bat speed and a high barrel rate who almost never squares the ball up. Fix the contact, and you might have one of the more dangerous hitters in the league. Until then, the record is his — for better or worse.
