Chicago White Sox pitcher Noah Schultz was removed from his start Friday in the first inning of the team's 8-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians due to an unintentional violation of Major League Baseball rules. Manager Will Venable made a second mound visit to Schultz with one out in the inning, which resulted in Schultz's automatic exit from the game.
MLB rules allow for four mound visits per nine innings, with a limit of one visit per pitcher per inning before the pitcher must be removed. Umpires confirmed the violation after Venable's second visit to the mound, leading to Schultz's premature departure.
Schultz exited the game after recording just one out, having allowed two earned runs on three hits. His replacement, David Sandlin, continued to struggle, giving up six earned runs and two home runs over 5⅓ innings.
The incident marks a difficult stretch for the 23-year-old Schultz, who is in his rookie season. Entering Friday's game, he held a 3-8 record with a 5.82 earned run average and 58 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched. Schultz was called up in mid-April after a strong performance in Triple-A Charlotte, where he posted a 1.29 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 14 innings. He was selected by the White Sox as the No. 26 overall pick in the 2022 draft.