James Shields has pitched in two World Series and each time was thrilled with the experience.
The veteran righthander has also formed a close connection with the White Sox organization since arriving on the South Side in June of 2016.
Those facts present a bit of a conundrum for Shields, who has pitched his way into becoming a potential trade asset for the Sox.
“Why we play the game of baseball is to try to go to the playoffs and win,” Shields said. “Hopefully, one day I can get back there. Whether it’s with this team or another team, I can’t control that stuff. I can just control what I’m doing for the Chicago White Sox right now and that’s to try to win as many ballgames as I possibly can.”
Shields took the mound at Guaranteed Rate Field on Wednesday night trying to help his team win its third consecutive game when it faced the Twins and did just that as the Sox prevailed 6-1 before a crowd of 19,466.
Shields was brilliant, blanking the Twins through seven innings while yielding four hits with two walks and five strikeouts. It marked the 12th time in his last 13 appearances that Shields has worked at least six innings and he lowered his earned-run average from 4.59 to 4.29.
“This is kind of what I’ve done my whole career,” Shields said after the game. “I strive to go as deep as I possibly can in a game and so far, it’s been good.”
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Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia each belted home runs to lead the offense for the Sox, whose three-game winning streak matches their season long.
Each time he takes the ball, somewhere in the back of Shields’ mind is the knowledge that he could be pitching his way out of Chicago, though it is not something on which the 36-year-old dwells.
“Not really at this point,” Shields said. “To be honest with you, my main focus is to go out there and stay healthy and have fun with the game. I understand the business aspect of it, I understand there are going to be a lot of trade rumors and things like that but I can’t control that so I don’t really think about it too much.”
The fact that Shields could be a marketable trade asset for the rebuilding Sox is a bit of an upset. It wasn’t long ago that Shields consistently struggled and it appeared his career was grinding to a halt. But an adjustment in arm angle late last season and his continued tweaking of his game has again put Shields in the spotlight.
“It’s been an on-going process and so far it’s been going pretty well,” Shields said. “In between starts I’ve kind of made minor adjustments here and there. I feel really comfortable right now with my stuff and I’m just more confidence in my ability to get hitters out. This year my body feels a lot better so I’m able to repeat my mechanics a little more and it’s making life a little easier on me.”
Manager Rick Renteria said it is Shields’ willingness to keep learning and adjusting that has led to a resurgence.
“He knew he had to make adjustments (and) he did,” Renteria said. “He’s been very, very effective. For me, the wins and losses for him are irrelevant. It’s the way he’s been performing that’s most important. He’s been executing and giving us innings and keeping us in ballgames.”