Texas Tech Professional Athletes

Mason Montgomery Is Pittsburgh's Shutdown Answer

The Pirates didn't need to look far to find their late-inning anchor — they just needed to let Mason Montgomery loose.

The Texas Tech product is firmly entrenched as Pittsburgh's go-to closer, and the numbers from the week of Aug. 23–29 back it up. Montgomery appeared in three games, posting a combined 3.1 innings, five strikeouts, and zero earned runs across those outings. His ERA sits at 3.13, and the weapon driving his emergence is impossible to ignore: a 101 mph fastball paired with sharp breaking pitches that has batters consistently uncomfortable in the box.

Montgomery worked a clean inning with two punchouts against the Padres on Wednesday, helped protect a 2-1 Pittsburgh lead on Tuesday with 1.1 frames, and finished the week with two more strikeouts Saturday against the Cardinals. Over a stretch in which the Pirates desperately needed someone to trust in the ninth, the Red Raider has delivered. Yahoo Sports named his emergence as one of the more notable bullpen developments of the late-season stretch — high praise for a former Tech arm making a real mark in the majors.

The Rest of the Red Raider Corps

Montgomery grabbed the headlines, but Tech alumni were active across the league all week.

Clayton Beeter had the busiest stretch for any Red Raider not named Montgomery, appearing in three games for the Washington Nationals against the Rockies (Aug. 24–27). His work was mixed: a solid 1.0-inning, two-strikeout performance Monday was bookended by a rougher 0.1-inning outing Wednesday before he bounced back with 1.1 frames Thursday. His ERA settled at 3.61 — respectable for a reliever managing high-leverage innings down the stretch.

Andrew Morris logged four appearances out of the Twins' bullpen, totaling 4.1 innings across the week. The results were uneven — a 9-2 Twins blowout win Tuesday was a comfortable backdrop, but he was touched for three earned runs in the Twins' loss to the Athletics on Thursday and again on Sunday against the Padres. His ERA climbed to 3.82 by week's end.

Patrick Monteverde had a difficult Friday start for the Marlins against Washington, allowing four earned runs over 4.0 innings in a performance that pushed his ERA to 9.00 — a number that reflects the struggles of pitching deep into a lost Marlins season.

Braxton Fulford, catching for the Rockies, was the lone position player with logged activity this week, though his .174 average signals the offensive challenges that have defined his early MLB experience.

The Bigger Picture

Seven Texas Tech alumni logged appearances across six different MLB organizations in a single week — a testament to how reliably Lubbock has produced professional-caliber arms. But it's Montgomery who represents the clearest upside story. With a 3.13 ERA, triple-digit heat, and a manager who trusts him in the ninth, the Red Raider closer is no longer a project. He's a piece of the Pittsburgh puzzle — and the rest of the league is starting to notice.

The Incident That Stopped the Game

Texas Tech's Davis Martin didn't just have a rough week on the mound — he became the story. The White Sox right-hander was ejected during a benches-clearing incident after throwing back-to-back pitches near the head of Reds batter Sal Stewart, prompting a furious reaction from both dugouts. "You can kill somebody," one participant reportedly said after the dust settled. Cincinnati capitalized on the chaos, rallying to hold on for a 9-8 victory.

Martin's outing on August 13 was already shaping up as a tough one — he allowed 3 earned runs over 2.0 innings, fanning 3 batters but ultimately leaving the game not on his terms. His ERA climbed to 4.32 on the season. He had also appeared four days earlier against the Guardians, surrendering 1 earned run over 1.0 inning with 1 strikeout (ERA: 4.17). Two outings, two rough exits — but only one made national headlines.

Red Raiders Scattered Across the Diamond

Martin wasn't the only Tech alum active this week. Cam Cauley, the Rangers shortstop, logged regular appearances in a Rangers-Angels series mid-week. He opened the week with a strong showing on August 9 against the Orioles — going 2-for-the-day with a run scored and a walk — but saw his batting average slide from .218 to .207 by week's end as the at-bats dried up in subsequent games.

On the pitching side, Twins reliever Andrew Morris was quietly solid. He worked 1.0 inning with a strikeout against the Phillies on August 15, finishing the week with his ERA sitting at a tidy 2.98. Clayton Beeter of the Nationals also made two appearances — 1.0 inning each against the Cubs (August 13) and the Mets (August 15) — striking out one in each outing and landing at a 3.55 ERA.

Mason Montgomery (Pirates) and Parker Mushinski (Rockies) each made brief relief appearances. Montgomery notched 3 strikeouts in a 1.0-inning effort against the Mets on August 9, keeping his ERA at 3.64. Mushinski was a mixed bag — he was sharp earlier in the week but gave up a run in a short August 15 outing against the Giants, nudging his ERA up to 3.86.

Caleb Kilian wrapped a quiet 1.0-inning, scoreless appearance for the Phillies on August 9 against the Blue Jays (ERA: 4.91), while Phillies beat coverage this week also flagged his name in roster news.

The Bigger Picture

It was a week that captured the breadth of the Texas Tech pipeline in MLB — from a shortstop grinding out plate appearances in the AL West to a bullpen full of Red Raider arms scattered from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. But the week belonged, for better or worse, to Davis Martin. A pitcher at the center of a league-wide conversation about headhunting and player safety is a story no school's alumni base can look away from — and Tech fans won't forget this one anytime soon.

The Arráez Trade Put a Red Raider in the Middle of MLB's Biggest Deal

The week's loudest transaction had a Texas Tech thread running straight through it. On August 3, the San Francisco Giants shipped three-time batting champion Luis Arráez — and reliever Caleb Kilian — to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for right-handers Ramon Marquez and Marty Gair. Kilian, the former Red Raiders arm, was effectively the salary-relief piece attached to a blockbuster, but landing in Philadelphia puts him in a legitimate pennant-race bullpen.

He didn't waste time making his Phillies debut count — at least partially. Kilian tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts against the Nationals on August 4, then followed up with a frame against Toronto on August 7 in which he allowed one earned run. The rough spot came in between: a brutal one-third of an inning against Washington on August 5 in which he surrendered four earned runs, pushing his ERA to 4.93 before landing at 5.01 by week's end. The ceiling is still there; the command is still a work in progress.

Davis Martin Gets Shelled in Boston

It was a week to forget for Davis Martin in Chicago. The White Sox right-hander took the mound August 4 to open a series at Fenway and was tagged for nine earned runs across five innings in a 14-2 drubbing. Martin's ERA climbed to 4.13 on the season — a number that reflects a rotation spot on a rebuilding club that is still asking its pitchers to eat innings against whoever's on the other side. He'll get more chances; the results haven't justified optimism yet.

Clayton Beeter Holds Down Washington's Bullpen

On the other end of the spectrum, Clayton Beeter had a mixed but productive week for the Nationals. The right-hander appeared in four games — August 3, 5, 7, and 8 — working at least one inning in three of those outings (he was limited to one-third of an inning on August 3). He struck out at least one batter in three of those four appearances and finished the week with his ERA sitting at a respectable 3.75. Beeter has been part of what Yahoo Sports described as a "solid back end of the bullpen" in Washington, a genuine development story for a franchise that has leaned heavily on young arms.

Around the Red Raiders

Cam Cauley continued to see time at shortstop for the Rangers, though his batting average dipped from .217 at the start of the week to .192 by Wednesday before bouncing back to .208 — a reminder that the rookie is still finding his footing at the big-league level.

Andrew Morris was steady out of the Twins' bullpen, tossing a scoreless inning against the Royals on August 6 and another against the Brewers on August 7, holding his ERA at 3.13. Mason Montgomery struck out all three batters he faced in one inning for the Pirates on August 3. Parker Mushinski logged multi-game work out of the Rockies pen, pitching 1.1 frames Saturday after a clean inning Wednesday.

The week underscored just how wide Texas Tech's MLB footprint has become — from trade deadline centerpieces to quiet, reliable bullpen arms grinding through a pennant-race stretch run.