Shane Smith’s MLB Journey Comes Full Circle In Memorable Debut

Shane Smith watched helplessly from the White Sox dugout as a soft line drive off the bat of Ryan Jeffers dropped into the right-field grass. Just one out away from completing six scoreless innings, Smith had been on the verge of extending the rotation’s shutout streak to 29 innings—and, more importantly, securing the win in his MLB debut.

That single was all that stood between the 2025 White Sox and history. A clean inning would have made them the first team in MLB history whose starting pitchers allowed no earned runs through the first five games.

Sean Burke set the tone on Opening Day, tossing six scoreless innings against the Angels. Jonathan Cannon followed, working around traffic to post five shutout frames. Davis Martin kept the streak alive with six innings, allowing only two unearned runs. Then, Martín Pérez made history against the Twins, becoming just the second pitcher since 1901 to record six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in his debut with a new team.

On Tuesday, it was Shane Smith’s turn. The 24-year-old right-hander delivered, proving he was more than up to the challenge. With his family in attendance, the Rule 5 draft pick struck out three, walked four, and allowed just two hits in 5 2/3 innings of work. The only two runs he allowed came in the sixth inning when he was lifted from the game after issuing a pair of two-out walks. 

Penn Murfee was tasked with keeping the inherited runners at bay, but a Ryan Jeffers single opened the floodgates for a five-run Twins innings, two of which were tagged to Smith. 

“He did great. That was awesome. He was under control,” White Sox manager Will Venable told reporters when asked about Smith. “I thought he had composure out there, really overpowering with the fastball, good secondary stuff. Was able to mix it up and get some really good hitters out. We weren’t able to seal the deal for him in the sixth.” 

Smith attacked the Twins with a four-pitch mix that featured 32 four-seam fastballs, 22 sliders, 14 changeups, and 5 curveballs. His fastball averaged nearly 95 mph on the night, topping out at 97.3 mph. Despite throwing just 73 pitches, his velocity began to drop in the sixth inning, shortly before the White Sox decided to pull him from the game. Smith told reporters after the game that once he began missing with fastballs up in the zone, it was a sign that he was getting tired, even though he wanted to try and make it through the inning. 

There hasn't been a pitch thrown in the big leagues this year that was faster, dropped more, and had more horizontal movement than this Shane Smith changeup.

(per @CodifyBaseball) pic.twitter.com/PdIfgpMirN

— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) April 2, 2025

While he only threw his changeup 20 percent of the time, it was his most impressive pitch. Smith logged his first strikeout of the night by getting Carlos Correa to chase a 92 mph changeup in the dirt. According to Codify Baseball, there has not been a pitch in the MLB this season that was faster, had dropped more, and had more horizontal movement than that changeup. 

“A little shaky on the first hitter, but after that I settled in pretty good,” Smith told reporters. “Tried to keep the emotions in check leading up to today. I think I did a pretty good job.” 

Smith may not have earned the win, but his MLB debut was a milestone moment for a pitcher whose journey to the big leagues was anything but easy. He threw just 10 1/3 innings across two seasons at Wake Forest, due to COVID-19 and Tommy John surgery. After deciding to undergo Tommy John surgery, Smith opted to enter the MLB draft so he could rehab with a professional organization. However, he went undrafted and settled for signing with the Brewers. 

After being left off the Brewers' 40-man roster, the White Sox scooped him up in the Rule 5 draft, giving him a chance to compete for a spot on the White Sox pitching staff. Smith didn’t just make the roster—he earned a place in the starting rotation after an impressive spring training.

On a chilly 42-degree night in Chicago, nearly 50 family members and friends bundled up in the stands to watch him take the mound—witnessing a dream years in the making come to life.