Shirley was originally drafted out of Putnam City High School in 1972 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but chose to attend the University of Oklahoma. While there, he was a member of the gold medal-winning Team USA at the 1974 Amateur World Series, the predecessor to today\'s Baseball World Cup. He was drafted again in 1975 by the San Francisco Giants, but did not sign, instead waiting until the following January, when he was drafted in the secondary phase by the Padres.\n', '

Shirley skipped several levels of minor league baseball, being assigned directly to the Double-A Amarillo Gold Sox to start the 1976 season. After posting a win–loss record of 9–5 with a 3.32 ERA in 16 starts, he was promoted to the Triple-A Hawaii Islanders, finishing the season there. It would be the last time Shirley played in the minors until 1987.\n', '

Shirley was named to the Padres\' starting rotation to open the 1977 season. He posted what turned out to be one of his best seasons in his rookie year, setting what would be career highs in wins (12), games started (35), innings pitched (214) and strikeouts (146). It was also his only year as a full-time starter, as he never started more than 25 games in a season after 1977.\n', '

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