Strikeout record set

Colson Montgomery reached 224 strikeouts, surpassing Adam Dunn's 222 and Mark Reynolds' 223 in the MLB single-season record.

“You get what you focus on. I feel like if you sit there and you are focusing on striking out all the time, you are probably going to get more of that stuff.”

Montgomery's September struggles

Montgomery hit .107/.230/.227 with two homers, 10 RBIs and 39 strikeouts against eight walks in September.

Montgomery's perspective

Montgomery said he focuses on getting good pitches to hit rather than chasing strikes, emphasizing his young age and need to refine his swing.

“I'm still a really young player, so I'm trying to still learn my swing to perfect it.”

Hitting coach's view

White Sox hitting coach Derek Shomon acknowledged strikeouts are not ideal but noted they stem from confidence in hitting hard on line.

“I believe in the side of this, not making a massive deal about it has allowed those guys the freedom to continue to do the things they do well.”

Manager's support

Manager Will Venable praised Montgomery's game-changing swings and defense, emphasizing team success over personal stats.

“He's choosing to go out and do everything he can to be competitive and we want to support him.”