Smith (1-0), called up from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier in the day, notched the win against the Orioles on Wednesday, firing two scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit and recorded three strikeouts.
Smith had pitched to a 2.25 ERA across four innings over three relief appearances with the Aviators, and he carried over the momentum into his Athletics regular-season debut. Smith benefitted from a favorable decision on his behalf by the official scorer, which declined to award Jeurys Familia -- who preceded Smith and was still in the game when the Athletics went ahead for good in the eighth -- the victory due to his brief and ineffective stint on the mound, per the Associated Press. Smith is likely to remain in lower-leverage scenarios during Domingo Acevedo's (back) stay on the injured list.