Noah Schultz Dazzles in MLB Debut as White Sox Fall to Rays

There is nothing quite like that first big league moment, and for Chicago White Sox left-hander Noah Schultz, it arrived on Tuesday night in front of 14,648 fans at Rate Field.

The 22-year-old, who the Sox selected 26th overall in the 2022 draft out of Oswego East High School, was called up earlier in the day and delivered a performance that showed exactly why the organization is high on him. Schultz worked 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs — three earned — while striking out four and walking four in an 82-pitch outing against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The result was an 8-5 loss, but the verdict from the home dugout was resoundingly positive.

"I thought it was overall really good," manager Will Venable said. "Understandably, the first inning there sped up on him a little bit. But he did a nice job settling down and got us through a good spot and gave us a chance to stay in the ballgame."

Schultz admitted the nerves were palpable early. Two walks in the first inning, combined with a fielding error on a bunt that allowed two runs to score, put the Rays up 3-0 before the kid from Oswego had recorded his second out. He struck out Jonny DeLuca to end the inning, and catcher Edgar Quero handed him the baseball as a keepsake — the first strikeout of his major league career.

"It felt great," Schultz said. "Such a relief. Such a great feeling to have."

From the second inning onward, the stuff looked every bit the part. The 6-foot-10 southpaw retired the side in order in the second and worked around a walk for a scoreless fourth. When he came back for the fifth, he struck out Jonathan Aranda looking before the crowd sent him off with a standing ovation.

Quero said the difference from the first inning to the later frames came down to trust.

"He got ahead of the hitters with cutters a little bit more, controlling the zone," Quero said. "His confidence got a little bit better with the fastball later."

Schultz called the whole night "incredible" and "surreal." He was already looking ahead to what comes next.

"A lot of stuff to learn off of," he said. "A lot of things I was proud of. A lot of things to work on this week."

Quero kept expectations measured but bullish: "The sky is the limit for him, man."

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Schultz became the youngest starting pitcher in White Sox history to debut since Michael Kopech in August 2018. And unlike Kopech, Schultz had the benefit of a supportive crowd that roared on his very first pitch — a strike to Yandy Diaz.

A debut to build on. This is only the beginning.