In the three weeks since John Smoltz made his debut in a Red Sox uniform, manager Terry Francona has been preaching patience, and the amen corner has been getting quieter and quieter.
Smoltz understood why. After struggling in two of three starts, he was waiting himself to feel like the pitcher he thought he was.
“It’s been the biggest thing,’’ Smoltz said. “You sit here for four starts hearing me say that, ‘It’s going to happen, It’s going to happen.’ People want to see it. The results are more important than what you feel.’’
Last night wasn’t perfect. But he got the result he and others wanted.
He threw five innings - shorter than he would have liked but enough to be effective. He struck out seven and allowed just one run on four hits and there were flashes when he looked like the pitcher that anchored the Braves staff for two decades.
His performance almost got lost in the offensive mayhem that ensued once he left, a 15-9 rollercoaster with the Kansas City Royals that the Red Sox were able to survive while preserving Smoltz’s first win with the team.
The game lasted 3 hours 44 minutes.
“To get my first win,’’ Smoltz said. “I don’t care how long I had to wait.’’
It will require the same patience for Smoltz (1-2) to become the pitcher he and Francona think he can be, but neither one of them doubts it will happen.
The evidence showed itself yesterday.
In the third inning he shredded through the Royals, fanning Miguel Olivo with a slider, then running a 92-miles-per-hour fastball inside on Tony Pena to the point that all he could do was buckle. Smoltz finished with a 91-m.p.h. heater in on Ryan Freel, who was just as frozen.
Smoltz’s fastball had life. His splitter had depth. His slider had break.
“This game,’’ Smoltz said. “I felt like my command was as good as it needed to be to get those outs.’’
The fourth inning was what he was the most proud of, though. Smoltz found himself in a first-and-third jam after giving up back-to-back singles to Billy Butler and Mark Teahen. Showing a veteran’s poise, he got Jose Guillen to pop out, fanned Mike Jacobs, and got a long fly ball out of Alberto Callaspo.
“He’s got some mileage in him,’’ Francona said. “He knows how to pitch, and his stuff is plenty good. The more he pitches the better he’s going to get. He’s a perfectionist, he always wants to get better, but there’s a lot there to like.’’
But with Smoltz, there’s also always something to improve.
Before last night it was two-out hits. Now it’s going deeper into starts. Normally, he said, he doesn’t pay attention to pitch counts. But knowing the work put in by both Smoltz and the organization to get the pitcher to this point, Francona is keeping an eye out.
“The fourth and fifth innings were long,’’ Francona said. “We were hoping to get another inning, but then it was up to 97. All the time we spent getting him back, we really didn’t want him to have to reach back for maybe a tough sixth.’’
Smoltz couldn’t believe his count was that high.
“If there’s only one frustration I have it’s that I want to go seven innings,’’ Smoltz said. “It’s a 9-1 game, I can save the bullpen. I really wanted to go another inning but I wasn’t going to be able to talk them into it.’’
The Sox’ offense was able to put up enough runs to make up for a bullpen that stumbled once the veteran left. But Smoltz left knowing he had a start he could build on.
“This is going to be very, very important for me in these next eight, nine days off to continue to think about pitching and be as good as I can be so that the second half goes right where it needs to go,’’ Smoltz said.
He said he didn’t feel like a pitcher until yesterday. It could be longer before he feels like the pitcher he wants to be, but he said, “My patience and the patience that [the team’s] had with me has been vital to what I believe is going to be a very successful run.’’
Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@globe.com. 
