MLB notes: Bay State pitchers cherish first trip to Fenway as big leaguers

Every young baseball participant who grows up in Boston dreams of one day taking the field at Fenway Park but sparse from this area ultimately step foot on the diamond as a big leaguer This weekend however that dream came true for four Bay State standouts Sean Burke Shane Smith and Mike Vasil all right-handed pitchers who grew up in Massachusetts and now pitch for the Chicago White Sox each made their first appearance at their childhood ballpark this weekend as did left-hander Jared Shuster who was called up on Saturday The three righties are -year-old rookies who previously played for certain of the state s top high school programs and after attending dozens of games as kids the three each acknowledged that stepping foot inside Fenway Park this weekend hit differently It s a full circle moment explained Smith a Danvers native who starred at Governor s Academy in Byfield prior to Friday s series opener When you re a kid you re obviously like oh I want to go play for the Red Sox I think just to be here in any maximum is really cool I think these are moments we ll never forget in our lives revealed Vasil a Wellesley resident who played for BC High So you ve got to really enjoy them Chicago White Sox pitcher Shane Smith a Danvers native took the mound at Fenway Park for the first time as a big leaguer on Saturday AP Photo Steven Senne The trio each have fewer than MLB games under their belt and have seen their careers take off within the last six or seven months Burke a Sutton native who starred at St John s High in Shrewsbury is the veteran of the group having made his MLB debut last September towards the end of Chicago s forgettable season After an impressive four-game cameo Burke earned the nod as this year s Opening Day starter and Sunday he will take the mound at Fenway Park for the first time It s crazy it all does kind of come fast announced Burke who has posted a ERA through his first eight career MLB outings I think I m at the point now where I m starting to take it in stride and be a little more dialed into my routine and slow everything down a bit Smith and Vasil on the other hand were both selected in this past December s Rule Draft and had no prior big league experience heading into Smith barely pitched at Wake Forest due to injuries and the pandemic but took off in professional baseball after being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Milwaukee Brewers Last season he posted a ERA with strikeouts in innings split between Double-A and Triple-A and after being left unprotected entering the offseason he was selected as the No overall pick in the Rule by Chicago That put him on Chicago s -man roster and ensured he d have an opportunity to make the big league club That was a really special moment for me and my family obviously the Rule Draft can be tricky and nothing s guaranteed just like anybody but to get that opportunity for the first time was special and that s when you get the real knocking on the door opportunity Smith disclosed I m glad I made the the greater part of it and I m extremely thankful to be here Vasil a University of Virginia standout was also selected No in the Rule Draft but that was one of multiple times he changed teams this winter Originally a New York Mets farmhand Vasil was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies and right away traded to the Tampa Bay Rays with whom he spent spring training Vasil did not make the group out of camp but was claimed off waivers by the White Sox putting him in the same clubhouse as Burke and Smith To have three guys from the same area on a major league club alone is rare but for all of us to be the same age as well and we re all playing at Fenway together it s really really special reported Vasil who was in attendance for David Ortiz s famous grand slam in the American League Championship Series We talk about it all the time how crazy it is we all had super different paths to get here mentioned Burke who pitched at the University of Maryland It s kind of a crazy thing to happen Former St John's of Shrewsbury star Sean Burke was the Opening Day starter for the Chicago White Sox this spring AP Photo Erin Hooley The timing of Chicago s trip to Boston couldn t have been better After a frigid first homestand this weekend is shaping up to be the nicest of the year so far weather-wise which is helpful considering that the locals are expecting dozens if not hundreds of friends and family to be in attendance over the curriculum of the four games The White Sox will also be in town for Marathon Monday a date whose significance the locals fully understand Even the bus ride into the stadium this morning you see everybody out and about Burke explained The weather is at last nice the whole strength in the city you start to feel While they went to different schools and grew up in different towns the three all knew each other prior to their respective arrivals in Chicago both through playing against each other in the Catholic Conference or in passage ball and through training together in the summer The trio continued to keep in touch as their careers unfolded and now they hope their success can help inspire others like them to follow in their footsteps All of us we take a lot of pride in being from Massachusetts and knowing that not a lot of people are doing what we re doing from our area Burke disclosed We went to high school in similar leagues but a lot of players that went to my high school that went to Mike s high school that went to Shane s high school we all played summer ball together it s a similar group of people so just trying to inspire those kids to be at this level too New Bedford's Jared Shuster was called up by the Chicago White Sox on Saturday AP Photo Duane Burleson White Sox promote Shuster Prior to Saturday s championship the White Sox called up left-hander Jared Shuster to replace starting pitcher Martin Perez who left Friday s battle with left forearm soreness and was subsequently placed on the injured list A New Bedford native who previously attended New Bedford High and Tabor Academy Shuster was teammates at Wake Forest with Shane Smith before being drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the MLB Draft Shuster is now in his third big league season and though he has pitched against the Red Sox before this weekend will mark his first time at Fenway Park in a big league uniform as well According to the Red Sox the White Sox are now the third squad since to feature four or more Massachusetts-born players in a season The others were the Mets Mark Johnson Brian Rose Turk Wendell and Pete Walker and the Giants Mike Yastrzemski Tyler Beede John Brebbia and Alex Cobb The last Red Sox gang to feature four or more locals was the unit which included Jim Corsi Steve Lomasney Lou Merloni and Brian Rose Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony hit two home runs including a grand slam on Thursday Photo by Kevin C Cox Getty Images Anthony Mayer s grand week This was a week to remember for top Red Sox prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer who each hit grand slams amid their latest push for a spot in the big leagues Anthony who will soon take over as MLB s consensus No prospect following the imminent graduation of Roki Sasaki from prospect status hit two home runs in the first battle of Thursday s doubleheader including a grand slam He came into the weekend with a OPS through the WooSox s first four games against Rochester this week and so far on the season he s batting with seven extra-base hits and RBI through his first games Not to be outdone Mayer hit a grand slam the following day on Friday going for with seven RBI on the day He added a two-run double in Saturday s loss as well Could Anthony and Mayer s current performances portend a big league promotion in the near future The two still face a crowded roster picture in the majors which could development in them sticking in Triple-A for the time being but if the idea is for the two prospects to force themselves into the equation the pair have certainly held up their end of the bargain especially just now