"Being an avid golfer, John Smoltz is well-acquainted with the mulligan.

In that spirit, let's just agree his Red Sox career began in the second inning last night.

Pitching in the major leagues for the first time in more than a year, Smoltz came out a little too amped for his own good, and by the time he gained control of his emotions, the Nationals had four runs in the first.

The Red Sox never recovered in a 9-3 loss, but that hardly was the story. The return of Smoltz, who hit 94 mph with his fastball and grew stronger as the game wore on, was all that mattered.

"I can't be disappointed," Smoltz said. "I'm very encouraged by how good I can be, and how I felt."

Smoltz' final line wasn't one for the scrapbook - five innings, seven hits, five runs - but for a 42-year-old coming off major shoulder surgery, Smoltz looked pretty good. His slider had so much movement, it easily could have been mistaken for a curve. With a few key exceptions, he kept his splitter down in the zone. His fastball had more life than it had shown in the minors during his rehab starts.

Smoltz was at his best in the fourth and fifth innings. He retired the final eight batters he faced, striking out the side in the fifth.

"He's now got 35 innings under his belt," said pitching coach John Farrell. "You see it with the guys in our rotation now. The power pitchers don't get their stuff until the fifth, sixth week of the season. Keep in mind, John's just coming out of spring training, as far as we're concerned."

When Smoltz sat down for his postgame interview, he exhaled with relief before breaking into a big smile. Last night marked the end of a long journey from labrum surgery last June to Smoltz' first start after two decades with the Braves. He received 71 well-wishing texts before the game."