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Even the Automated Balls and Strikes (ABS) system can’t explain getting back on base after an out – and it’s not an April Fool’s joke.
Houston Astros player Cam Smith missed the first three pitches of a plate appearance Tuesday, but still managed to walk.
The count moved to 0-1, but on the second pitch, on which Smith whiffed, a throwing error by Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong on a stolen base attempt brought in a runner from third, making the score 6-1, Astros.
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Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) walks against the Los Angeles Angels in the sixth inning at Daikin Park. (Thomas Shea/Imagn Images)
That brought the count to 0-2, but with the error it seemed like everyone forgot what the count was. Smith then swung and missed the next pitch, but nothing happened on what should have been strike three.
Smith then fouled the next pitch, saw one ball, fouled another, saw another out of the zone, then fouled another. Then Smith took first base on what was actually ball three, which really shouldn’t have been anything.
So in total there were three strikes and three balls, but Smith walked. And no one on the ground realized what was wrong.
Cam Smith of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a home run in the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Daikin Park on March 31, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Houston Astros/Getty Images)
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora didn’t even seem to know what happened regarding the plate’s appearance during his postgame availability. Pitcher Brayan Bello said he asked the umpire what the count was, and the umpire, Mark Wegner, admitted his “error.”
“I just watched the video,” Wegner told reporters, according to the New York Post. “I didn’t count the second shot because I said the count was 1-2. It was actually the third goal…I’ve never done that before. I’m not happy with it. I just made a mistake.”
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened: A YouTube channel called “Secret Base,” in its “Dorktown” series, highlighted other “two-strike strikeouts, three-pitch walks and other count failures” in a video posted more than five years ago. At the time the video was made, there were at least 35 events in MLB history, most occurring in the 21st century, oddly enough.
Cam Smith and Jake Meyers of the Houston Astros celebrate a home run in the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Daikin Park on March 31, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Houston Astros/Getty Images)
The accident hardly mattered to the Sox, as they fell 9-2 to the Astros.
