Smyly lost his perfect game when his catcher tackled him, a breakdown
What Happened
Chicago Cubs pitcher Drew Smyly is on the verge of a historic perfect game at Wrigley Field. The Cubs lead the Los Angeles Dodgers 13-0 in the late innings and Smyly has not allowed a single baserunner. As he steps back on the mound to face the next Dodgers hitter, the tension in the stadium is palpable. Smyly winds up and delivers a biting curveball that the batter swings at and barely taps down the third base line. Smyly springs off the mound, scoops up the slow-rolling ball and prepares to throw to first base for the out that would preserve his perfect game. But as he winds up to throw, Cubs catcher Yan Gomes comes barreling in and collides with Smyly, tackling him to the ground. "Oh no, that was not...what a way to lose a perfect game!" the announcer exclaims. Smyly lays on the ground, looking up at Gomes in disbelief. "It's all right, man. I guess..." Smyly says, shaking his head. Replays show Gomes approaching quickly, then diving full-force into Smyly just as he was about to throw to first. "If you watch it and just think about Yan Gomes just tackling him, which is what it had to feel like for him," the announcer notes. The announcer then reflects on similar plays over the years where pitchers tried to field slow-rolling balls down the line, only to be disrupted by their own catcher arriving to make the play. "I went and found a ton of similar plays over the years, not a lot of them were made on swinging bunts like this," he says. Analyzing the play further, the announcer believes Smyly may have had a chance to throw out the batter if Gomes hadn't intervened. "I don't know, would have been close. I think there's a chance he could have made this play. Guys, it would have been really tough," he concedes. Ultimately, Smyly's bid for a perfect game is spoiled in the most bizarre fashion, as his own catcher inadvertently tackles him on the play. "That is how Drew Smyly lost his perfect game," the announcer says solemnly, shaking his head at the remarkable turn of events.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentDrew Smiley's got a perfect game going
on this breakdown is brought to you by
DraftKings the Cubs are up 13. Dodgers
haven't gotten a hit yet they don't even
have a base runner he's got a lot of
room to work with the curveball is
dancing 0-1 to the first batter let's
get this done Day game at Wrigley Vibes
are great he's gonna go another
curveball and it's just swinging bunt
they go to field it to go oh no that was
not uh what a way to lose a perfect game
and just kind of lay in there paint me
like one of your French women style and
looking at each other and like it's all
right man I guess pops up scratches his
head don't know if that's
pain or other pain you know mental or
physical but he's like all right
whatever I'm good to go I'm good to go
the replays are
kind of wild because if you watch it and
just think about Yan Gomes just tackling
him which is what it had to feel like
for him Fields the ball gets up turns to
throw it and then he's tackled and what
a what a hit boom you're done make the
play no thank you
perfect game don't want none of it
ah I'm sorry I shouldn't laugh but I
mean come on it's a wild way that's
bizarre watch this I'm gonna throw him
out make a great play nope I'm gonna
tackle you so everyone's thinking what
do you have made the play anyway I went
and found a ton of similar plays over
the years not a lot of them were made
swinging bunts not where they showed
bunting the pictures ready for it just
kind of dribblers down the line where
the pitchers got to get there and
and not a lot of them were made I didn't
find any really that were swinging Buns
of this caliber with a lefty batter and
a lefty pitcher that were made but if
you put them all together
you can see that smiley gets to his ball
pretty quickly like you look at the top
left Alvarez isn't there yet Smiley's
got his hand on it now bottom right he's
got it but he's got a quicker Runner
he's got Blackman running bottom left he
doesn't have it yet and smiley had it in
his hand at this point if he turns and
throws could he have gotten him well I
went and found a play where Smiley did
feel The Swinging bunt I had to go all
the way back to 2015 against the Red Sox
Jackie Bradley Jr puts that one up the
line turns fires that's a nice play now
he's further away he had to run sideways
but he turns and fires it so here are
those two plays side by side and you
can't really do this because frame rates
are different and speeds are different
and all that good stuff but I don't know
would have been close now I tried to do
my own experiment which again
isn't scientifically conclusive and is
just for fun but we're all going to take
it very seriously and place our votes
below I tried to match up the spot where
I think so right there on the right in
2015 that's where he's got his left foot
planted and I think had Gomes not jumped
on him
he would have had his foot planted and
released at the same time now watch the
ball on the right
it gets there right there
and on the left Peralta would have been
out I don't know I don't know I think
there's a chance he could have made this
play guys would have been really tough
would have been really tough what made
it what made it most tough was his
catcher jumped on his back that is how
Drew Smiley lost his perfect game and I
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