Boston Red Sox first baseman Dominic Smith shouldered the blame for his team’s 8-3 defeat to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.
Just days after manager Alex Cora praised Smith’s defensive play, Smith committed two errors in the second inning that led to two unearned runs for Atlanta. While the Braves ultimately won by a comfortable margin, Smith believed his mistakes were the turning point.
“I think they cost us the game,” Smith said. “We weren’t able to play clean baseball, and that’s on me. (Defense) is something I take a lot of pride in, and it’s frustrating when things like that happen.”
The first error came on a ground ball from Matt Olson that took an unexpected hop. Smith acknowledged he should have made the play regardless.
The second error involved miscommunication with second baseman Jamie Westbrook on a grounder. Smith attempted to field the ball himself but then deferred to Westbrook. However, he failed to get set for the throw, which resulted in a wild throw and two runs scoring.
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Despite his disappointment, Smith vowed to learn from his mistakes and move forward.
“It’s part of the game,” he said. “We’ll bounce back. This is a close team, and we showed that by coming back to take the lead after that inning.”
Smith even launched a solo home run in the following inning, but it wasn’t enough for the win.
