SAN DIEGO — Blake Snell had not yet put his Mercedes-Benz sedan in park late Thursday night after pulling over for an alleged speeding violation on Interstate 5 near Carmel Valley Road.
It's one of many reasons Snell considered himself lucky as he and his 22-year-old brother, seated next to him in the passenger seat, walked away without significant injuries after the car was sideswiped by a suspected drunken driver at a high speed just before 11 p.m.
"They said it was 75 mph and like veered into me," the Padres' left-hander said late Friday night after a 6-3 loss to the Nationals. "I didn't park the car. My foot was on the brake. We were hit, we rolled forward and then the car automatically just broke and the other car went two lanes over.
"I just remember my hat went flying, my phone went flying. I just looked at my younger brother, 'Are you good, are you good?' … There's more to it, but it was kind of crazy."
They were good, more or less. Neither Snell nor his younger brother, affectionately nicknamed "Boots," required a trip to the hospital after the car skidded some 12 feet after the collision.
The Padres' medical team evaluated Snell and cleared him to start Friday's game, although he admitted to pitching through neck pain while allowing three runs in five innings.
"It was a long night," Snell said. "Hard to go to sleep, thinking about what could have been."
He added: "It affected me. I'm happy I was able to pitch today, get out there and compete. I'm happy I'm alive."
Needless to say, the ordeal was still top of mind as he discussed Friday's outing. He threw 98 pitches, walked two, struck out seven and was again tortured by foul balls, slowing what had been a dominant start to the second half (0.94 ERA over his previous five starts).
"I'll be better in my next one," Snell said. "This one was kind of quick to be in that situation and then pitch the next day right after and not really … know how you're going to feel and know what to expect. ... I gave the team a chance to win. I'm excited about that.
"I'll get better by the next and the next one and the next one and the next one."
Unfortunately there will be no "next one" for Snell's Mercedes.
"It's my baby," Snell said. "Not anymore. It (saved me). It did its job."
