AL WILD CARD SERIES: WHITE SOX VS ASTROS

September 29, 2026

Colson Montgomery

Daikin Park

Chicago White Sox

Pregame Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Who has the first question for Colson?

Q. Obviously, there's so many guys on the roster making their first playoff experience. Who have been some of the guys that you've leaned on and what's the best piece of advice that you've received?

COLSON MONTGOMERY: Yeah, I mean, if you look at our lineup, it consists of a lot of kind of rookies and stuff and guys who this is our first full year. But also, we have a lot of veterans that have been in this scenario. You know, T Pham, Benny, Grich, those guys have definitely been the people we've leaned on and they just go out there and they're telling us try to make it seem like it's another game. Go about your routines the exact same because once the game starts, it's the same thing we've been playing 162 games.

So it can be more magnified. You can make it feel that way, but it's just kind of the stuff they have been telling us is just take it day by day and just be you.

Q. You've often said we don't know what we don't know about this young team. You've termed it as a positive thing. Why do you think it maybe helps on a stage like this?

COLSON MONTGOMERY: Yeah, I just feel like when you're young and you're hungry and you're competitive and you're in a scenario like this, it's kind of like one of those things where you go out there and play. You go out there and you compete. You don't overanalyze a lot of things. You kind of just go out there and do what you know, and that's play baseball. We've all been playing baseball for our whole lives, so in our eyes this is, you know, something that's not anything different.

But we're all excited. All the young guys, we're all pumped to be here. Like we said from spring training, we believed this is where we could be and we believed that we could be in the playoffs in the postseason, so for us to be here it's awesome and we're excited.

Q. There's a group of you, including Sean Burke, that went to the Nashville workouts in the off-season. What was kind of the discussions then about this team? I know Davis was saying at the end of last year he couldn't wait to get into this year because he was so excited about how you guys finished. What was the pump up during that time?

COLSON MONTGOMERY: Yeah, I mean, there was a lot of guys who stayed in Nashville for the off-season. Last year in the second half of the season that was kind of where we had pretty much the core players and stuff. We have a couple guys that weren't up yet. But we were all really excited with what we did last year in the second half. We were all pumped to kind of bring that into this year and start off in the off-season. Started it in the off-season and it led into spring training and I feel like it just led into the season.

But I don't know, I just felt like it was a little -- it was just a different vibe. When we were winning last year in the second half, it was just like we all started to feel the confidence just continuing to gain and the belief continue to increase. I think that's just kind of what led into this year.

Q. You've obviously had some struggles the past couple months, but I think the common refrain now is this is a new season, everything starts over. What have you been working on recently and how confident do you feel going into this series?

COLSON MONTGOMERY: Yeah, I mean, definitely didn't end the year with how I wanted to, but I've said it and everyone's told me, none of that stuff matters anymore. This is a new season. So I've kind of just been working on the things that got me here. Success leaves clues, so you kind of go and you analyze and look at what you did when you were doing really good and also when you do bad. It's a learning moment. You learn from your failures and things like that.

So I've definitely had to pull back some of my ego and check out some things and figure out what I need to do to keep helping this team get to where we want to be. I just think it's just been a combination of just continuing to do what got me here.

Q. What have you appreciated the most about playing for Will Venable or how has he impacted you guys, whether it's on and off the field?

COLSON MONTGOMERY: Yeah, Will's the man. He's definitely just a guy you can -- this year I've many times just knocked on his door and just went in there and we just chit-chatted about anything. We talked about basketball, talked about just what's going on in our lives and stuff. So having a manager like that where can you kind of turn off the baseball player and turn on just being like, you know, like, a man, like bros talking pretty much.

So I think that's kind of what I've appreciated a lot about him. His communication is great. I think everything has came from him. From the belief, from the confidence, and everything, it's started with him and it kind of trickled down to all of us young guys. I feel like once you have a guy that is so confident and so positive and ready, it's just how can you not want to try to be exactly like that.

Q. I know you guys are locked in because the mission isn't done yet, but have you guys as a group been able to reflect on what you have been able to accomplish this season and how do you reflect on what this group has been able to do?

COLSON MONTGOMERY: Yeah, I mean, I feel like we've -- I think, you know, definitely in Kansas City when we clinched and stuff, that was definitely a time where we could sit back. And, you know, the plane ride back we all kind of sat there and talked about how it all started. The beginning of the year it didn't get off to the best start or anything like that, but there was no panic. And that's another thing that we talked about. There was no panic with all of us. We all believed in ourselves, believed in each other, and -- I don't know, I think it's -- that was kind of a time we definitely sat back and appreciated it. But also in our eyes, the job's not finished and the job, we want to go farther and stuff. So I think that's just kind of -- we haven't really, like, gotten too far in depth of it, but we've definitely appreciated it a little bit.

Q. You mentioned taking your ego out of things. You're batting 9th today for the first time this season. How do you put aside maybe not being used to doing that, but these are still going to be important at-bats because it's a playoff game?

COLSON MONTGOMERY: I don't care where I'm at as long as I'm in the lineup. That's the mindset I feel like you have to have. I know I batted 9th, I think, one time, maybe. I think it was against the Cubs last year. So I don't see it any different. Just being in the lineup, that gives me the confidence that that's where they want me to be and I'm okay with it.

Like you said, it's the postseason. All these at-bats matter and stuff, so I'm not reading anything too far into it, but I definitely haven't hit there very often, so...

Q. What have you made of the season that Murakami has been able to have for you guys?

COLSON MONTGOMERY: What have I made of it? I mean, he's definitely been a very big impact player for us. Just one of those guys where right when he stepped into our clubhouse it was kind of like, you know, a little aura, the aura feeling, you know. A guy walks in, it just screams that he has confidence the way he walks around, carries himself, his preparation and everything like that.

So it's definitely a guy that a lot of us young kids -- not kids, young dudes have looked up to and kind of taken into account of what we need to do on a daily basis to get ourself ready to play, not with just our bodies, but with our minds, the mental side of it and everything like that. So he's definitely been a huge impact with us not just on the field, but also just being a pro.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Thanks for coming in Colson.

COLSON MONTGOMERY: Thanks, guys.