James Shields (baseball)

James Anthony Shields (born December 20, 1981), nicknamed "Big Game James", is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2006 through 2012, the Kansas City Royals in 2013 and 2014, the San Diego Padres in 2015 and 2016, and the Chicago White Sox from 2016 to 2018. He was an All Star in 2011.

Shields grew up in the Newhall neighborhood of Santa Clarita, California. He has two older brothers. While attending William S. Hart High School, he was named the Los Angeles Times's Valley Player of the Year in 1999, his junior season after leading Hart to the Division II championship. He had an 11–0 win–loss record with a 2.35 earned run average (ERA) with 123 strikeouts in 71+1⁄3 innings pitched. He also batted .478 with a then-school record 11 home runs and 45 runs batted in, being named the Southern Section's Division II Player of the Year. He declined a full scholarship to play baseball at Louisiana State University in favor of signing with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Baseball America ranked him the 16th best high school prospect in 2000.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected Shields in the 16th round of the 2000 MLB draft. After pitching well during his first season at the Class-A level in 2001, Shields underwent serious shoulder surgery that caused him to miss the entire 2002 season. His fastball lost some velocity as a result, forcing him to change his pitching approach and develop a changeup as he worked his way up through the Devil Rays system.

Shields made his Major League debut against the Baltimore Orioles on May 31, 2006. He surrendered five runs over five innings as he earned a no-decision. On June 5, Shields picked up his first big league win against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, striking out six over six innings of work. On June 21, 2006, Shields became the first Devil Rays pitcher to start his career with four straight wins.

Shields's rookie season with Tampa Bay was relatively unimpressive. He finished with a 6–8 record and an ERA of 4.84. However, his 104 strikeouts in just under 125 innings was promising.

In 2007, Shields began to emerge as a legitimate top of the rotation starter to complement Scott Kazmir. On May 9, he pitched nine shutout, three-hit innings, only to receive a no-decision due to lack of run support in an eventual 10-inning loss. Later, on May 30, he pitched a complete game in a 5–3 win vs the Detroit Tigers in which, after a three-run first inning, he retired 13 straight batters. Shields finished the season 12–8 with a 3.85 ERA in 31 starts. His 184 strikeouts in 215 innings placed him among the league leaders. He was also second-best in the AL in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.11 K/BB) and third-best in walks per nine innings (1.51 BB/9) and WHIP (1.107).

Based on less than two full years of major league work with Tampa Bay, the Rays signed him to a four-year, $11.25 million contract after the 2008 season. This deal contained three team options and multiple performance bonuses that could expand the deal to seven years and upwards of $44 million.

After an injury to Tampa Bay's ace, Scott Kazmir, Shields made the 2008 Opening Day start for the Rays against Baltimore, earning the win by giving up two runs in seven innings in the 6–2 victory.