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ATLANTA – When Drew Smyly briefly left the Braves camp towards the end of spring training, he was unsure if he would again have the opportunity presented to him on Tuesday night, as he thankfully pitched in presence of his father.
“He had fairly routine surgery at the end of spring training and ended up spending three months in the hospital,” Smyly said. “We weren’t sure he was going to do it some of these days.”
After overcoming colon cancer, cirrhosis and other ailments that required a long hospital stay, Todd Smyly was in Truist Park to watch his son pitch in the series opener against the Reds. Drew didn’t disappoint as he built six solid innings with seven strikeouts while helping the Braves stay warm with a 3-2 win.
“He’s my biggest fan, so it’s exciting,” Smyly said. “The baseball season has helped him through the last few months, just giving him something to do and to watch. He loves the game and loves the Braves. We grew up as fans of the Braves.
With his parents seated in one of the Infiniti suites behind the plate, Smyly ceded Aristides Aquino’s two-run homerun in the second, and then kept the powerful Cincinnati formation going without a hitting for the remainder of his outing.
Adam Duvall provided early support with a two-run homer in the fourth and Stephen Vogt fired a decisive goal on Amir Garrett in the sixth.
Smyly’s effort was then preserved by a more reliable lift pen. Tyler Matzek made his 11th straight scoreless appearance failing two in the eighth and Freddie Freeman got Will Smith out of trouble with a 3-6-3 double play ending the game.
With their sixth victory in their last seven games, the Braves have strengthened their bid for a fourth straight National League East title. Their resurgence was similar to what Smyly experienced after stumbling in the first two months of the season.
“[Smyly] has been really good for us, ”said shortstop Dansby Swanson. “It feels like we’ve won a lot of games he pitched.”
While Smyly posted a 5.98 ERA in his first nine starts, the Braves have lost seven of the games he started. But the team went 10-1 as the veteran southpaw posted a 3.09 ERA in his last 11 starts.
This latest outing was Smyly’s best as he limited that same tough Reds lineup to one point in six innings on June 25 at Cincinnati. He had only completed four innings in each of his previous three outings and it was questionable whether he was regressing at the wrong time.
But motivated by the chance to add importance to his father’s presence, Smyly has shown he has the potential to be a key asset down the stretch. He spent his childhood savoring those days he and his father watched the Braves in Arkansas.
That night he fulfilled a childhood dream and relished the chance to see his father shoot for the Braves again.
“He’s pretty excited right now,” Smyly said.
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