Not in Boston Anymore: Penny Dazzles for Giants in Team Debut

Brad Penny got a raw deal in Boston, and he took out his anger on the Philadelphia Phillies. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)   In eight starts with the Boston Red Sox, the 42-year old future Hall of Famer, John Smoltz, allowed five or more runs in six of those outings. His final start with the team was his worst, a loss to the New York Yankees in which he surrendered eight runs on nine hits in just three-and-one-third innings. Not surprisingly, Boston wasted little time in sending him packing, releasing the failed experiment immediately following the last of many dreadful performances. It appeared he had nothing left in the arm that helped him win 212 games, collect 154 saves, and strikeout 3,044 batters over 20-plus seasons. But with a competitive nature many pitchers possess, he thought he had something left. The St. Louis Cardinals, holding the National League’s second-best record at the time of Smoltz’s dismissal, believed him, claimed him off waivers, and, on Aug. 23,...