He had owned the Vanderbilt hitters all night, giving up only three hits in eight innings, and none of them very impressive.
He had struck out the nation’s home run leader (and fourth overall pick in the Major League draft) twice.
And by the time he struck out senior Julian Infante — his tenth of the night — Louisville pitcher Luke Smith had left one of college baseball’s best offenses with only the final inning to mount a comeback. If they failed to do it, the teams would meet the following day in an elimination game to determine who would face Michigan in the College World Series finals.
And that’s when it happened.
As Infante walked to the dugout, Smith let his emotions get the better of him. And he did something that will now be immortalized on film — and certainly online — forever. Rather than quietly walk from the field, three outs from victory, or even pump his fists as is common for pitchers who know they are dominating an opponent, Smith berated Infante with an expletive-filled tirade that seemed to lack even the slightest rationale.
Although Smith’s catcher would later say Infante had been staring at Smith, one wonders how a hitter seeking to make contact with a 92 mile-per-hour…
