‘It was incredible’: Chicago White Sox pitcher Noah Schultz makes MLB debut in 8-5 loss to Tampa Bay Rays
· Yahoo Sports
Noah Schultz received a nice ovation as he walked from the Chicago White Sox bullpen to the dugout before his major-league debut.
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There was a large roar from the crowd when the left-hander threw a strike on his first pitch to Tampa Bay Rays leadoff batter Yandy Díaz.
Schultz fought through some early jitters to pitch into the fifth inning on a night he will always remember.
“It was incredible,” Schultz said. “Such a surreal experience. It’s great being out there. It was really awesome. Something I’ll never forget.”
The Oswego East graduate allowed four runs (three earned) in 4 1/3 innings in an 8-5 loss to the Rays in front of 14,648 at Rate Field. The 2022 first-round draft pick, who was called up earlier Tuesday, allowed three hits, struck out four and walked four in the 82-pitch outing.
“I bounced back after the first inning,” Schultz said. “Got ahead of the hitters a little bit more. There were nerves in the first inning and nerves the whole time. Things to work on and good to get the first one out of the way.”
Everson Pereira (three-run) and Munetaka Murakami (two-run) hit home runs in the loss. But most of Tuesday was focused on pitching, namely Schultz’s debut.
“I thought it was overall really good,” manager Will Venable said of Schultz’s outing. “Understandably, the first inning there sped up on him a little bit, I think. Wasn’t in the zone like we saw him later in the game, but did a nice job settling down and got us through a good spot and gave us a chance to stay in the ballgame.
“He was aggressive in the zone, with the cutter especially. We saw a good fastball. I don’t want to put words in his mouth, whether it’s nerves or what — you understand why that first inning would speed up on him. But yeah, I just thought he settled in nicely, was able to command his pitches better. Saw a lot of swing-and-miss in the zone. He did a really good job.”
Two of the walks for the 6-foot-10 Schultz allowed came during a three-run first inning for the Rays. After retiring Díaz with a flyout, Schultz walked the next two batters.
Ryan Vilade drove in a run with a double. Ben Williamson then bunted back to the mound. Schultz’s throw to the plate was off target, and two runs scored, giving the Rays a 3-0 lead.
Schultz retired the next two batters, including striking out Jonny DeLuca to end the inning. Catcher Edgar Quero handed the ball to Schultz — his first major-league strikeout — as they walked back to the dugout.
“It felt great,” Schultz said of the first strikeout. “Such a relief. It’s such a great feeling to have.”
He settled in during the second inning, retiring the side in order.
“Got some nice words from guys in the dugout to calm down and help settle me down,” the rookie said.
The Rays scored once in the third with a two-out RBI double by Williamson. Schultz worked around a two-out walk for a scoreless fourth inning and returned to begin the fifth, striking out Jonathan Aranda looking.
“We just got ahead of the hitters with cutters a little bit more, controlling the zone a little bit more with the cutter,” Quero said of the adjustments. “His confidence got a little bit better, too, with the fastball later and that’s what we used.”
Aranda was Schultz’s final batter, and the crowd cheered again as he made his way to the Sox dugout.
“It was awesome,” Schultz said of the support. “There are no words I can say to describe it. Being able to see and hear the support from the guys who are there. Something I’ll never forget. Something that I’ll forever be thankful for.”
Schultz showed some promise while, according to Elias Sports Bureau, becoming the youngest starting pitcher (22 years and 252 days) to debut with the Sox since Michael Kopech (22 years, 113 days) on Aug. 21, 2018, against the Minnesota Twins.
“The sky’s the limit for him, man,” Quero said.
Shortly after the game, Schultz was already looking forward to that next test.
“A lot of stuff to learn off of,” Schultz said. “A lot of things I was proud of. A lot of things to work on this week.”