Shane Smith of Danvers left a major impression not only on the baseball world Saturday, but also the game’s biggest superstar.
Smith, a right-handed pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, struck out reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers twice during a spring training game Saturday, pitching the first three innings of his team’s 5-2 victory at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Smith, a power pitcher, struck out Ohtani swinging on a 2-2 pitch with a 98 MPH fastball up in the zone to begin the game. He also fanned Dodgers superstar Freddie Freeman and power hitting catcher Will Smith on fastballs to end the opening frame.
The 24-year-old former Wake Forest hurler then punched out Chris Taylor looking on at a fastball on the outer edge of the plate in the second inning.
Ohtani, the first man in baseball history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season last year en route to winning his third MVP, faced Smith again in the third inning … and was the hurler’s fifth strikeout victim of the day. This time, Smith reared back and put a fastball by him for a called strike three.
Smith allowed just one hit without a walk in his three innings of work, throwing 32 of his 49 pitches for strikes.
“Consistency is everything,” Smith told MLB.com’s Patrick Brown Saturday. “You’re going to have good days and bad days, but the more good days you stack, the better.”
Saturday marked the second straight spring training start for Smith in which he did not allow an earned run. In the process, he lowered his earned run average to 5.40 and leads the pitching staff in strikeouts (9) over 6 2/3 innings.
Wearing uniform No. 64 with the White Sox, Smith has held opposing hitters to a .095 average (allowing just 2 hits) this spring, and his three starts lead all ChiSox hurlers.
As the first pick in last December’s Rule 5 Draft, Smith, by rule, must be kept on Chicago’s active major league roster for the duration of the 2025 season or be offered back to the Milwaukee Brewers (his former organization). If he were to make the White Sox out of spring training, Smith would be in line to make his Major League Baseball debut soon thereafter.
The White Sox owned the first pick in the Rule 5 Draft after a dubious 2024 campaign in which they finished 41-121, which was the worst record by a Major League team in 125 seasons. The Rule 5 Draft gives minor league baseball players such as Smith with enough talent the opportunity to play in the Major Leagues for another organization.
Having pitched for Governor’s Academy in Byfield during his high school years, had an excellent 2024 campaign between both Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville in the Brewers’ organization. He struck out 113 batters in 94 1/3 combined innings with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.
Smith had originally signed with the Brewers as a free agent in July 2021 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. In his first full season back in 2023, Smith with 7-4 with a 1.96 ERA across three minor league stops, striking out 86 batters and holding an excellent WHIP of 0.96. He both started and relieved, finishing the season with 10 saves.
The White Sox will begin their 2025 season at home against the Los Angeles Angels on March 27. They will make their lone appearance in Boston April 18-21 to face the Red Sox in a four-game series.