Drew Smyly lost his bid for a perfect game Friday when he collided with his catcher while trying to field an eighth-inning dribbler, which went for a leadoff infield single, in the Chicago Cubs' 13-0 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers. With the 32.9mph smash, David Peralta became the only Dodgers baserunner against Smyly. The pitcher and catcher Yan Gomes both went for the grounder, with Gomes tumbling over Smyly as the left-hander picked up the ball, the AP reports. The scorer ruled the play a hit, per Yahoo Sports. Smyly was checked by manager David Ross and an athletic trainer, but the pitcher stayed in the game. He retired Miguel Vargas on a popup to third and struck out James Outman before he was pulled by Ross.
"It was a tough play to end" it, Smyly said after the game, per CBS Sports. He received a thunderous ovation from the home team crowd of 30,381 as he made his way to the dugout at Wrigley Field. Jeremiah Estrada completed the one-hitter for Chicago. Smyly struck out 10 and walked none in 7 2/3 innings, throwing 68 of his season-high 103 pitches for strikes. Nick Madrigal robbed Jason Heyward with a diving grab at second base for the final out. There have been 23 perfect games in baseball history, the most recent by Seattle’s Félix Hernández in 2012. On the offensive side, the Cubs became the second team to score double-digit runs six times in its first 19 games, matching the 1885 Chicago White Stockings.
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