TAMPA -- Over two decades ago, a 4-year-old Noah Cameron walked along the warning track at Kauffman Stadium with his mom, Diane, as part of a school field trip.
The Royals’ starter that day was a sensational rookie named Zack Greinke, making his home debut. According to Diane Cameron, Noah called out hello to Greinke as they passed by the starter warming up, and Greinke waved back.
It was around that time that Noah decided he wanted to be a baseball player when he grew up.
Fast forward to 2025. Noah Cameron is 25 years old. He’s a baseball player now, pitching for the organization he grew up a fan of and that selected him in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Now it’s his turn to make his Major League debut. And what a debut it was.
Cameron took a no-hitter into the seventh inning on Wednesday night, leading the Royals to a 3-0 win over the Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
With his entire family and a large contingent of friends in the stands, Cameron spun 6 1/3 scoreless innings. His first and only hit allowed came with one out in the seventh inning, when Curtis Mead knocked a single just fair down the third-base line, narrowly missing Maikel Garcia’s glove.
“You can’t put it into words,” Cameron said. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed about, especially with this team. And it’s just crazy. Not what you’d expect, but I’m glad to get out of there with what happened. You just can’t make it up.”
Cameron exited after the hit and 79 pitches to an ovation from the crowd. Reliever John Schreiber recorded the next two outs, protecting the Royals’ lead and giving Cameron the scoreless line.
“[Schreiber] came in and gave me a big hug, and I’m like, ‘Dude, I want to give you a big hug,’” Cameron said.
The only no-hitter thrown in an MLB debut came in 1892 from Reds right-hander Bumpus Jones. Cameron was eight outs from joining him.
“I thought he was going to do it,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “The pitch count was really manageable. ... We know he throws strikes, and he was challenging guys. He had a good mix. Just really impressive.”
Cameron, ranked as the Royals’ No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline, was called up on Wednesday to make a spot start for Cole Ragans (left groin strain). While it would have been special for his debut to come at Kauffman Stadium, Cameron was just as proud to wear Kansas City across his chest on the road.
A St. Joseph, Mo., native, Cameron grew up an hour north of The K and rooted for the Royals his entire life.
“It just hits home,” Cameron said. “Even coming out of the game, hearing a ‘Let’s go Royals,’ chant here. They’re going crazy. I know they’re going crazy at home, too. It’s awesome to be able to represent us. It’s special.”
Cameron’s dad, Tracy, is from Pattonsburg, Mo., a small town off Interstate 35 northwest of St. Joseph. His mom, Diane, is from St. Joseph. They’ve been Royals fans for “forever,” Diane said, and raised all five of their kids to be, too. Noah is their youngest.
All of them were on hand, along with Noah’s wife, Casey, and 1-year-old son, Auggie.
“I’ve been a fan of the Royals since before George Brett came along,” Tracy said. “This is unbelievable. For Noah to be drafted by the Royals, it’s not only great for him and for us, but for the entire town of St. Joseph. This organization has been so good to us.”
Cameron worked around five walks and an error from second baseman Cavan Biggio to keep the Rays off the board. He got some help from his defense, including right fielder Hunter Renfroe’s catch during Cameron’s five-pitch first inning and a phenomenal play and 90.9 mph throw to first base from shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. in the third.
Throughout it all, Cameron kept a calm and confident poise -- something that stood out to everyone on Wednesday. Those in the pregame pitching meeting walked out impressed by Cameron’s understanding and confidence in how he wanted to attack the Rays.
All he had to do was execute.
Cameron did that well, too, flashing four of his pitches and recording three strikeouts, two with his plus curveball and one with his new slider. That ability is why the Royals have been so high on Cameron since they drafted him, despite the Tommy John surgery he had right before getting drafted and injuries early in his pro career.
“This is a win for scouting and a win for player development,” senior director of pitching performance Paul Gibson said. “You draft a guy in that [seventh] round who’s injured, you’re going out there pretty good. Especially a local kid. The foresight they had from seeing him was really huge.
“He’s gone from a, ‘If he does this and if he does that,’ scenario to a, ‘Wow, he can do this and do that.’ We’re really proud of him.”