JUPITER, Fla. -- Carson Smith was worried about more than just rush-hour traffic during the 2 1/2-hour ride back to Fort Myers on Monday evening.
Smith felt tightness and cramping in his right forearm as he uncorked his fourth pitch of the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals. When the sensation persisted on the ensuing pitch, the Boston Red Sox reliever walked off the mound, accompanied by a trainer, and headed back to the club's spring-training facility to be examined by team internist Peter Asnis.
"Yeah, I'm concerned. It's my career," said Smith, who had never before experienced those symptoms on the mound.