All Shook up: Rox rookie shines after 6-year journey to MLB mound

ANAHEIM -- The clock in Albuquerque, N.M., read 9:30 p.m. on Sunday when TJ Shook's phone rang. On the other end was the life-altering news every Minor Leaguer spends a lifetime chasing: News of his callup to the Major Leagues.

But sharing the moment with the people who mattered most meant contending with a two-hour time difference back home in Columbia, South Carolina.

"They were dead asleep because they're on the East Coast and we're in Albuquerque," Shook said, standing by his locker in the visitors' clubhouse at Angel Stadium. "So it was like a two-hour time difference. It was like 11:30 for them. We had to call them like two or three times, wake them up."

When his parents finally answered, the grogginess quickly vanished.

"They almost had a feeling, because I don't ever call them that late," Shook said. "But when they answered, they were super ecstatic and I shared the news [and] immediately started crying. [I was] shaking a little bit for probably 10 to 15 minutes. It was a special moment."

It was a moment six years in the making, and it crystallized in Shook's Major League debut during the Rockies' 8-2 win over the Angels Tuesday night.

The 28-year-old's long-awaited debut required navigating immediate traffic. After getting Wade Meckler to fly out to left on an 89.5 mph cutter for the first out of Shook's career, Vaughn Grissom lined an 81.7 mph sweeper into center field for a sharp double.

Standing on the rubber with Grissom on second, the adrenaline tested Shook's composure as he fell behind 3-0 to outfielder Jo Adell. Rather than letting the frame unravel, the righty dug in -- pumping an elevated 93.3 mph four-seam fastball for a called strike. Adell then lined a 93.1 mph heater right down the chute at second baseman Chad Stevens, who caught the ball and stepped on second to double off Grissom, completing an unassisted double play.

Shook's first inning of his big league career was in the books.

In professional baseball, a six-year journey through the Minors is an endurance test of constant packing and moving. Signed by the Brewers as an undrafted free agent out of the University of South Carolina in 2020, Shook changed roles from starter to reliever before a trade sent him to the Mets, eventually landing with Colorado in the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft -- a career path sustained on persistence.

"Six years in the Minors is a long time," Shook said. "But it's just, it's a heck of an accomplishment. I'm just proud of myself. I'm proud of all the people that helped me, all the coaches, former teammates that kept pushing me."

His dominance for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes this season made him impossible to ignore. Shook posted a 2.86 ERA out of the bullpen in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, providing the exact strike-throwing stability the Rockies needed for a reshuffled bullpen.

"I love the way he attacks the strike zone," Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said of Shook. "He's never been in the big leagues before, so this is going to be a new opportunity for him. He's been doing really well in Triple-A, and he's earned it here."

The weight of the journey isn't lost on Shook, who nearly walked away from the game as a 13-year-old overwhelmed by the pressure of youth baseball until a former big leaguer and local mentor Jonathan Johnson reminded him how to find the joy in it.

"He kept me playing baseball because he kept it fun for me," Shook said. "Big shout-out to him, because I may not be standing here if he didn’t help me."

At his locker after the game on Tuesday, Shook admitted the experience was almost impossible to process in real time.

"Obviously you want to be in the zone more, but it is what it is," Shook said, turning his attention to the bigger picture. "I'm just super grateful for the opportunity. It's insane that I don't even think I've soaked it in yet, but when I'm lying in bed later, I'll probably cry or something. I really don't know what else to say. Loss for words."

The moment was made even sweeter by the group waiting for him afterward -- his college roommate and the same parents he had woken up just 48 hours earlier.

"They were here last night, but they got some videos and they said they enjoyed it," Shook said, smiling. "[I’m] Just beyond thankful for everything."