Astros' Smith walks despite three swinging strikes
Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith drew a walk after swinging and missing three pitches Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox. Umpire Mark Wegner lost track of the count during the at-bat at Daikin Park in Houston. Smith reached first base on the third ball called, despite the three prior swinging strikes.
The sequence began with Smith missing the first pitch for a 0-1 count. On the second pitch, another swing and miss made it 0-2, but Red Sox catcher Connor Wong's throwing error on a stolen base attempt allowed a run to score from third, pushing the Astros' lead to 6-1. Wegner called the next swing a foul, treating the count as 1-2, though it should have ended the at-bat on strike three. Smith then fouled off pitches, saw two balls, and walked on the third.
Wegner reviewed video after the game and acknowledged his error to reporters. Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello asked the umpire about the count during the at-bat. Red Sox manager Alex Cora appeared unaware of the miscount in his postgame comments. Such counting errors have occurred at least 35 times in MLB history, mostly since 2000, as documented in a video series five years ago.
The Astros won 9-2, rendering the walk inconsequential to the outcome.