GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Getting the starting nod for Opening Day ultimately becomes one of 32-34 planned trips to the mound for that particular hurler, if broken down within the constraints of a 162-game season.
Then again, there’s obviously something different about Opening Day.
“You have so many great pitchers who play this game who don’t get the option to start Opening Day,” White Sox right-hander Sean Burke said. “Maybe until I win a World Series, that will be the most memorable moment of my career, for sure.”
Burke worked six scoreless innings during the White Sox 8-1 victory over the Angels at a chilly Rate Field to start the 2025 campaign on March 27. It was Burke's first Opening Day start, and he was somewhat of a late surprise among the mix of Davis Martin, Jonathan Cannon and Martín Pérez.
Garrett Crochet earned the honor in 2024, when Michael Soroka and Erick Fedde were also candidates. Crochet will be working in the same capacity this season for the Red Sox. As it stands now, Shane Smith appears to be the frontrunner for the ‘26 White Sox honor, coming off an All-Star rookie campaign during which he posted a 3.81 ERA over 29 starts and led the team with 146 1/3 innings pitched and 145 strikeouts.
But when asked if he had any inside information regarding that special start on March 26 in Milwaukee, Smith simply said, “No.”
“Everybody in here wants it. I’m included in that,” he added. “Whatever shakes out, I can live with. But as long as I put my best foot forward, and try to do everything I can in the days leading up and make sure I’m a professional in all aspects, that’s all I can do.”
Smith turns 26 on April 4, a little more than one week after Opening Day. Even with the 2025 All-Star nod and one fourth-place vote for American League Rookie of the Year, Smith’s rise to excellence really should receive more recognition.
Shoulder and elbow injuries limited Smith to 10 1/3 innings over two seasons with Wake Forest before the Brewers brought him aboard. The White Sox claimed Smith with the first pick in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft, and in his first ‘25 Cactus League start, Smith walked three and allowed four runs in 1 2/3 innings against Texas.
Those first-game struggles quickly shifted to mound dominance, with Smith fanning five Dodgers over three scoreless innings on March 8. He has steadily moved from a player who was thrilled to make the roster last year to the staff ace and a leader in Year 2.
“I would say I feel like a leader in most aspects of my life,” Smith said. “I try to be, at least. Whether other people think that, that’s out of my control. I try to lead by example, and I think the vocal stuff will come in time.
“Guys have a good idea of who I am now, so it’s a little bit easier. If you are too vocal right out of the gate … you have to back it up with something. If guys feel that way, I’m honored to be that way. There’s still time to figure out my role in all this. We’ll take it day by day, and as games start up, guys can see what you do and how you act. That’s how those things accumulate.”
First-year assistant pitching coach Bobby Hearn played on the same 2020 Wake Forest team as Smith. He knows a little bit about Smith’s journey, calling it “one of the cooler stories on this team.”
No announcement has come from manager Will Venable concerning an Opening Day starter, although it figures to arrive earlier than last Spring Training. Smith is scheuled for his 2026 Cactus League debut against the Rockies on Monday, reinforcing a case that's potentially already solved.
“He’s just a guy that is going to compete and be locked into his stuff, no matter what his situation is,” Venable said. “I would imagine internally -- and I don’t want to speak for him -- it feels different, and there’s another level of confidence that comes along with just knowing you are in a good spot.
“At the same time, he’s extremely hungry to continue to perform well. We see that on a daily basis from him.”
A nod for Smith would mark Chicago's fifth consecutive season with a different Opening Day starting pitcher. In true focused form, Smith won’t even think about a guaranteed roster spot at this point.
“There are still goals and aspirations to strive for,” Smith said. “That’s what I’m really pushing for on a day-to-day basis.”