Astros player swings and misses at three pitches, walks on ball three as everyone forgets the count

Astros' Smith walks despite three swinging strikes

Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith reached base on a walk Tuesday after swinging and missing three pitches in a plate appearance against the Boston Red Sox. Umpire Mark Wegner failed to count the second swinging strike, allowing the at-bat to continue past what should have been strike three. Smith took first base on the third ball of the actual count.

The sequence began with Smith whiffing on the first pitch for a 0-1 count. On the second pitch, another miss coincided with a throwing error by Red Sox catcher Connor Wong on a stolen base attempt, which scored a runner from third and made the score 6-1 Astros. Wegner called that pitch a ball, resetting the count to what he believed was 1-2. Smith then fouled off pitches, saw balls, and walked.

Wegner reviewed video after the game and acknowledged the error. He told reporters he missed the second swinging strike and called the count incorrectly at 1-2 when it was strike three. Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello asked the umpire about the count during the at-bat.

Such counting errors have occurred at least 35 times in MLB history, according to a video compilation posted over five years ago. The Astros defeated the Red Sox 9-2 at Daikin Park.