Fans were cheering for Cubs' Smyly so loudly, he couldn't hear the pitch call in the 7th
Before one of the most important offerings of Drew Smyly's near-perfect performance Friday, the Cubs' pitcher didn't know what kind of pitch catcher Yan Gomes was calling for.
That's how loud it was at Wrigley Field.
The 30,381 in attendance were in full throat with two outs in the seventh inning, with Smyly getting ready to deliver a 2-2 pitch to J.D. Martinez. Smyly had retired the first 20 hitters in order and was looking to become the 22nd pitcher to throw a perfect game in the modern era.
"I couldn't hear my PitchCom," said Smyly, referring to the wireless device that many battery mates now employ instead of using hand signals from the catcher. "(Pitch) clock was running down. I was like, 'Yan, I can't hear you!'
"Middle of my windup he gave me the curveball signal, and I was like, 'OK.' Last second I threw it."
Martinez then flew out to right fielder Seiya Suzuki to keep the perfect-game bid in tact.
Smyly ended up allowing a leadoff single to David Peralta in the eighth.
One of the lasting memories Smyly will take from Friday is definitely the crowd's support. He received a rousing standing ovation when manager David Ross removed him with two outs in the eighth.
"Pitching here at Wrigley Field is so special. It's so awesome," Smyly said. "Every single game the atmosphere is just off the charts compared to anywhere else you go in this league. ...
"They're always behind you. They're never just there to watch the game. They really want this team to succeed and do good."
No ordinary walk:
When former Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward drew a 9-pitch walk in the ninth inning Thursday at Wrigley Field, it loaded the bases for the Dodgers in a 2-2 game.
"Jason's at-bat was huge," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "There was a tax bleeding into the (next) at-bat."
And the Cubs paid dearly as James Outman turned on Michael Fulmer's 91-mph cutter and ripped it into the right-field bleachers for a grand slam.
The Dodgers went on to claim a 6-2 victory.
"(Fulmer's) trying to execute a bunch of great pitches," Roberts said, referring to the Heyward at-bat. "Now you insert a guy (in Outman) that's putting together a great at-bat. With that, he left a cutter that was middle-middle, which is a result of the prior at-bat - and James took advantage.
"So I think Jason should get partial credit for that homer."
Heyward (6-for-31, 3 HRs, 5 RBIs, 5 walks) lined out to second base to end Friday's game and is expected to start Saturday and Sunday.
Around the horn:
The Cubs called up RHP Jeremiah Estrada from Triple-A Iowa on Friday and optioned pitcher Javier Assad. Estrada recorded the final four outs of the Cubs' 13-0 victory, walking two and striking out three. ... The Cubs have now scored 10-plus runs six times, equaling their total from 2022. ... On Saturday in Arizona, starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (right shoulder strain) will throw 3 innings in an extended spring game, while Codi Heuer (Tommy John surgery) will throw a 1-inning simulated game.