This will be an Opening Day that John Smiley won't soon forget.
He was the winning pitcher in the Reds' 11-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies, but that is only half the reason it will be an unforgettable day in the Smiley household.
Smiley left Cinergy Field quickly after the game to fly to Pittsburgh to be by the side of his wife, Dana, who was at the hospital about to give birth to their second child.
''Hopefully, I'll be back tomorrow (today), and I'll have a baby boy,'' Smiley said.
The Smileys, who have a 2-year-old daughter (Dakota Brooke), know that it's going to be a boy and will name him Blaise John.
''It's been a very exciting day,'' Smiley said. ''The No. 1 start. My wife going to the hospital ...''
But the Reds' four-run first inning did wonders for his nerves.
''It relaxed me a lot,'' he said.
Smiley was not at his best - he went six innings, allowing six hits and all four runs - but he got the victory.
''He made some good pitches,'' pitching coach Don Gullett said, ''and he made some mistakes. But all in all, it was a good outing.''
Smiley was 13-14 with a 3.64 ERA last year. He won the Opening Day start with a strong spring (5-1, 3.15 ERA).
But there was a little concern going into the game because he was throwing to Eddie Taubensee. Joe Oliver, Smiley's usual catcher, is on the disabled list.
There has been some friction between Taubensee and Smiley over the way the games have been called in the past, but Smiley went out of his way to compliment Taubensee on Tuesday.
''Eddie and I worked really well together,'' he said. ''We got together yesterday to go over the hitters.''
Said Taubensee: ''That's a big boost for me. I want to be able to catch and for him to pitch well. It was good for John to get the win. We (the Reds) have a problem when John loses.''
Smiley threw mostly change-ups and curves against the power-laden Rockies lineup.
''We talk a lot about the pitchers' strong suits,'' Gullett said. ''You try to match their strengths with the hitters' weaknesses. The relationship of the pitcher and catcher is very important in that.''
Taubensee and Smiley also came through offensively. After the Rockies had tied it at 4-4, Taubensee led off the fifth with a single.
Smiley tried and failed to bunt him over on the first two pitches. On the third pitch, he misread third-base coach Joel Youngblood's signal.
''I wanted him to bunt,'' Reds manager Ray Knight said. ''But he thought Joel called the hit-and-run.''
Smiley swung and lashed a double into right field. Taubensee scored from first, and the Reds were on their way to the win.
Not a bad first Opening Day start for Smiley: Winning pitcher, game-winning hit and maybe a new son.
''It's an Opening Day I'll be very proud of,'' Smiley said.
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