When rookie Chase Shugart made his major league debut for the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Camden Yards in Baltimore, he had his own personal cheering squad courtesy of some convenient flight paths.

Shugart, a 27-year-old right-hander who was called up from Triple-A on Monday, had about 20 friends and family members in Boston for the Sox’ three-game series against the Rangers. He didn’t pitch in any of those games before making his first big league road trip to Baltimore for the four-game series that began Thursday. Originally, the plan was for most of his family members to fly back home to Houston, where the Sox will play a series beginning Monday (100 miles away from Shugart’s hometown of Bridge City, Texas). But a layover changed their plans.

A group of seven people that included both of Shugart’s grandmothers, his grandfather, an uncle, his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s mom made a decision that might not be too popular with whatever airline they were flying. They had a layover in Baltimore on the way home and got off the plane in Maryland and found their ways to Camden Yards. Others took the second leg of the flight, Shugart said, because they had to get back to their jobs.

“Their layover was in Baltimore and they were like, ‘You know what? We’re just gonna get off the plane and we’re gonna come,’ ” Shugart said. “It worked out.”

When Shugart entered in the sixth inning of Boston’s 5-1 loss to the Orioles, the group supporting him cheered loudly in seats on the second level down the first-base line. Tears were shed. The group watched as Shugart pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out two batters in Boston’s 5-1 loss to the Orioles.

Shugart entered with the Sox trailing 4-1 and kept the game close. The only blemish was an RBI double by Colton Cowser in the seventh inning.

“I felt good,” Shugart said. “I filled up the strike zone, something I wasn’t able to do my last couple outings in Worcester. It felt good to do it on a big league stage. Go in there, pound the zone and get the results I got. Only made one mistake, to Cowser, and he made me pay for it.

“The first few days at Fenway were nothing short of a dream,” he said. “Still doesn’t feel real. Then getting in the game tonight was a dream come true. Just can’t help but think about the people that got me here and all the work I put in to get here. It’s a good feeling.”

Shugart, who was a 12th-round pick out of the University of Texas in 2018, was not called up because of his prospect pedigree. He has a 4.98 ERA in 59 2/3 innings with the WooSox so far this season, Shugart was added to the major league roster – seemingly out of nowhere – to provide bulk innings after last weekend when the bullpen was heavily taxed. He proved useful in a losing effort Thursday once Nick Pivetta got through only five innings; the relief corps will once again be heavily used Friday with Cooper Criswell, coming off the COVID injured list, expected to start.

Shugart was optioned back to Worcester on Friday when Criswell was reinstated from the COVID-19 related list. But that mattered little Thursday when Red Sox Manager Alex Cora recognized the moment for the eighth Red Sox player (and fifth pitcher) to make their big league debut in 2024.

“He pounded the strike zone with good stuff,” Cora said. “Wasn’t afraid. I don’t know how many strikes he threw or the percentages but like we talked about afterwards, nobody can take that away from him. He’s a big leaguer. Whatever happens in the future, it happens. But this day is going to be remembered.”

Shugart said he heard from someone who was on the flight heading from Baltimore to Houston who claimed the public address system at BWI was busy due to some missing guests.

“They were all yelling their names and he was like, ‘They’re not coming. They left.’ So there’s no telling what happened after that,” Shugart said. “It was perfect.”