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Not even the Automated Balls and Strikes (ABS) system can explain getting on base after striking out — and this is not an April Fool’s joke.
Houston Astros player Cam Smith swung and missed on the first three pitches of a plate appearance on Tuesday, yet still managed to work a walk.
The count went to 0-1, but on the second pitch, which Smith whiffed on, a throwing error by Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong on a stolen base attempt brought in a runner from third, making it 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 appeared everyone had forgotten what the count was. Smith then swung and missed on the next pitch, but nothing happened on what should have been strike three.
Smith then fouled off the next pitch, saw a ball, fouled off another, saw another one out of the zone, then fouled off one more. Then, Smith took first base on what was actually ball three, which really should not have actually been anything.
So, in total, there were three swinging strikes and three balls, yet Smith walked. And nobody on the field 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 did not seem to even know what had happened regarding the plate appearance during his postgame availability. Pitcher Brayan Bello said he asked the umpire what the count was, and the umpire, Mark Wegner, admitted his “mistake.”
“I just watched the video,” Wegner told reporters, according to the New York Post. “I somehow didn’t count the second swinging one because I said the count was 1-2. It was actually strike three … I’ve never done that before. I’m not happy about it. Just made a mistake.”
This is not the first time an instance like this has happened — a YouTube channel called “Secret Base,” in its “Dorktown” series, highlighted other funky “two-strike strikeouts, three-ball walks, and other counting failures” in a video posted over five years ago. At the time the video was made, there were at least 35 occurrences in MLB history, with most happening 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)
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The mishap hardly mattered for the Sox, as they fell 9-2 to the Astros.
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