Cubs’ Drew Smyly loses ideal videogame, no-hitter on freak infield accident

Drew Smyly was 6 outs from immortality priorto catastrophe struck.

The Chicago Cubs left-hander had tossed 7 best innings versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, taking him to the precepie of endingupbeing the veryfirst MLB pitcher to toss a best videogame consideringthat the Seattle Mariners’ Félix Hernández did so in2012 But Smyly’s best videogame was destroyed when catcher Yan Gomes clashed with his pitcher while Smyly tried to field a weak ground ball hit by the Dodgers’ David Peralta, the veryfirst batter in the 8th inning.

Adding additional insult, Peralta’s ground ball was ruled a struck consideringthat Gomes neverever made contact with the ball and Smyly technically did not mishandle it. The Cubs’ house broadcast was in shock at the occurrence, as was the shocked crowd at Wrigley Field.

Smyly was examined on by supervisor David Ross and an athletic fitnessinstructor, however the pitcher remained in the videogame. He retired Miguel Vargas on a popup to 3rd and struck out James Outman, then was changed by Jeremiah Estrada.

Smyly got a thunderous ovation from the crowd of 30,381 as he strolled off the mound. He struck out 10 and strolled none over 7.2 innings, and tossed 68 of his season-high 103 pitches for strikes. 

Ross validated after the videogame that regardlessof Smyly’s triple-digit pitch count, the left-hander would have stayed in the videogame for his shot at the history books.

“He had a genuine possibility,” Ross stated in his postgame press conference, through Marquee Sports Network. “He was as locked in and they were as off-balance as I’ve seen a group in a while.”

“I was going to flight him moredifficult than Yan did,” Ross lateron included with a smile.

But Ross, a previous catcher himself, refrained from roughly slamming Gomes when asked about the important play.

“It’s a difficult play,” Ross stated. “[Smyly] had soft contact all night so it’s kind of fitting that it ended with mostlikely the softest.”

Peralta’s dribbler injury up being the Dodgers’ just hit Friday as the Cubs won 13-0. 

There have just been 23 best videogames in taped MLB history, consistingof New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen’s versus the then-Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1956 World Series.

Here’s how social media responded to the ruthless end of Smyly’s ideal videogame quote:

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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