Drew Smyly’s start last Wednesday eventually turned disastrous, but even before it did, it got me thinking. There was a point in that game where Smyly had a 3-1 lead and had retired six straight batters. In fact, at that point, Smyly had failed to retire just one batter all game (and that batter, of course, hit a home run). But then, on a dime, the game turned. With two outs and none on, Smyly issued a four-pitch walk to Xander Bogaerts. (The first pitch of that sequence probably should have been called a strike, but Smyly missed badly with his 3-0 fastball.
How long is Drew Smyly’s leash?
