Rookie Braden Montgomery hits walk-off homer in MLB debut

In a moment that instantly etched his name into baseball lore, Chicago White Sox rookie Braden Montgomery hit a walk-off home run in his Major League debut on Tuesday night, June 9, 2026, to secure a 6-5 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Guaranteed Rate Field. The 23-year-old outfielder became just the fifth player since 1900 to achieve the feat.

With the White Sox trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the 10th inning and down to their final out, Montgomery stepped in against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias. After taking a first-pitch changeup, he connected on a second identical offering, sending it 343 feet over the left-field wall for a two-run homer. The blast scored automatic runner Andrew Benintendi from third and ignited a raucous celebration as teammates mobbed Montgomery at home plate.

Montgomery described the experience as surreal, saying he could not hear the deafening crowd noise as he rounded the bases. He finished his debut 2-for-5 with three runs batted in, having also delivered an RBI single in the fourth inning for his first career hit.

The win held significance in the standings, moving the second-place White Sox (35-31) to within half a game of the Cleveland Guardians...