Cubs' Smyly loses perfect game in 8th on collision with catcher
Chicago Cubs left-hander Drew Smyly lost a perfect game after a swinging bunt by David Peralta resulted in an infield single with nobody out in the eighth inning of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Smyly and catcher Yan Gomes both tried to make a play on the ball but collided:
This is how Drew Smyly just lost his perfect game 😅pic.twitter.com/H220G0JaaN
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 21, 2023
"It was a tough play to end it. ... Yan wanted it just as bad as I did," Smyly said postgame, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
Smyly ended up only allowing that one hit over 7 2/3 innings with 10 strikeouts on 103 pitches.
"I was gonna ride him harder than Yan did," Cubs manager David Ross joked when asked if Smyly would've been allowed to go the distance if the perfect game didn't get broken up, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
Meanwhile, Gomes wore a football helmet during his postgame interview to make light of the fact that he tackled Smyly:
Cubs catcher Yan Gomes held court in a football helmet, while discussing his “tackle” of Drew Smyly pic.twitter.com/3q9ITzsYmH
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) April 21, 2023
The Cubs have never recorded a perfect game.
There have only been 23 perfectos in MLB history. Felix Hernandez is the last pitcher to accomplish the feat in August 2012.