Venable's faith in Montgomery rewarded as White Sox take control of ALDS

Will Venable's Chicago White Sox are one victory from the American League Championship Series after beating Cleveland 4-3 on Monday for a 2-0 division-series lead. Venable credits Princeton basketball with shaping his attention to detail as a manager, The Guardian reported Wednesday. His confidence in rookie Braden Montgomery also received a concrete reward in Game 2.

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According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Montgomery entered the game without a hit in his previous 10 at-bats, but Venable retained him in the lineup. The switch-hitter then drove a two-run double down the right-field line in the sixth inning against left-handed reliever Erik Sabrowski, bringing home Miguel Vargas and Randal Grichuk to put Chicago ahead.

The hit came after a regular season in which Montgomery produced six home runs in 93 games and a .662 OPS, the Sun-Times reported. Explaining his selection, Venable pointed beyond batting production to Montgomery's defense, baserunning and athleticism. Montgomery said the manager's belief mattered deeply to him and linked that trust to the bonds within the team.

Chicago's pitching supplied the other central contribution. The game report carried by StatMuse records Sean Burke allowing just one hit across 5 1/3 innings in relief. Montgomery subsequently scored on Chase Meidroth's single during the sixth-inning rally. Cleveland narrowed the deficit in the eighth, but the White Sox preserved their one-run advantage to win.

Venable's preparation for managing extended beyond his playing career. Princeton Alumni Weekly reported when Chicago hired him in 2024 that he had spent two seasons as Texas' associate manager, including the Rangers' 2023 championship campaign. Texas baseball executive Chris Young credited him with substantial work on daily matchups, game planning and strategic preparation alongside manager Bruce Bochy.

At Princeton, Venable earned first-team All-Ivy recognition in both baseball and basketball, becoming the university's second athlete to achieve that combination, according to Alumni Weekly. He scored more than 1,000 basketball points and helped win an Ivy League title. He later accepted the Chicago job after a 41-121 season; the club he joined to help rebuild now holds a commanding postseason series lead.