If a batter swings and misses at three straight pitches and nobody notices, has he really struck out?
In the case of the Red Sox Tuesday night in the Astros’ 9-2 victory, the answer was no.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning and Houston runners on the corners, Sox starter Brayan Bello threw back-to-back swing-and-miss cutters to Astros outfielder Cam Smith. On the second of those, Joey Loperfido took off from first base on a havoc-inducing steal attempt.
Once the proverbial dust settled, Bello got back on the mound and was surprised when home plate umpire Mark Wegner signaled a 1 and 1 count. It shouldn't have been.
Read Alex Speier's full story at BostonGlobe.com/Sports. | 
