NEW YORK -- John Smoltz hasn’t been humbled all that much in a baseball career that’s seen him pile up 212 wins and 154 saves during a decorated 20-year Hall of Fame-worthy career.

But immediately after once again crashing and burning – this time in Yankee Stadium – to the tune of eight earned runs and nine hits allowed in 3 1/3 innings pitched, the 42-year-old was searching for answers to circumstances that have led him to a 2-5 record and an 8.32 ERA this season.

When the dust had settled at the new Yankee Stadium, the Olde Towne had dropped a lopsided 13-6 decision to the Bronx Bombers and New York opened a 3 ½ game lead on the Sox in the AL East. The rout also punctured Boston’s run at perfection against the Yanks this season, and gave New York their first in nine tries against a banged up Boston baseball squad.

Dustin Pedroia and Casey Kotchman both went deep into the short porch in right field at the House that Hank and Hal built, but it wasn’t nearly enough after Smoltz was done digging a ditch in the fourth inning.

It was only the 10th time in his 716 big league game career that Smoltz had allowed eight runs in a career, and it was the first time the formerly dominant right-hander has coughed up eight earned runs since April 2002 against the New York Mets in a disastrous relief appearance. The frustration is building for a proud athlete used to excelling at everything he does in the world of athletics, and it’s just not happening for Smoltz right now.   

“It was a frustrating night all around,” said Smoltz. “I felt good coming in, but I just didn’t make pitches when I wanted to. It’s correctible, but I’m pretty humbled with the way that things have gone. I don’t like to use the word embarrassed, but I have a lot of pride and I certainly don’t like letting somebody down.

“I’m a fighter. I’m going to get up tomorrow and figure out some ways to fix this and do what I have to do. But I’m not doing it right now. I’m a big enough man to stand up here and say I’m not doing it and nobody fells worse than I do. Time may not be on my side if this continues. I’ve been here before and I’ve always fought my way out of it.”

Naturally when a pitcher of Smoltz’s age struggles as he has coming off major shoulder surgery, there are career-ending questions about retirement and “hanging them up”. Smoltz wasn’t entertaining those notions in the heated moments after dropping a big game against the arch-rival Yankees amid a tight pennant race, and Sox manager Terry Francona wasn’t quite ready to go there either.

“When it went, it seemed to go in a hurry. I thought that he threw the ball well over the first couple of innings, but then they started taking some pretty healthy swing on him. That’s an unforgiving lineup in an unforgiving ballpark. We have a lot of things to talk about tonight.

“Going into the game he made some adjustments and he lowered his arm slot a little bit and pitched to the inside a little bit. But once it went, it went in a hurry.”

Solutions will be discussed organizationally most certainly, and it wouldn’t be shocking if a name like Michael Bowden pops up as a potential alternative to the struggling Smoltz – along with any available arms for sale on the waiver wire. The ball is in Boston’s court to make a decision on the Big Game pitcher they envisioned this winter – the hurler that hasn’t shown much ability to pitch effectively in August, never mind September.