CHICAGO -- Detroit Tigers left-hander Drew Smyly wasn't questioning Jim Leyland's

after 69 pitches Monday night.

He had bigger fish to fry. Like, did he just hang out with boxing superstar

?

For the sake of an interesting story, Smyly says it happened. Though, he's not entirely sure.

"I can't say for sure that it was him, but he said it was him," Smyly said Tuesday morning. "And, it looked just like him. So, yeah, it was him."

The run-in occurred just hours after Smyly pitched five innings in Monday night's 7-5 loss.

Smyly said he spotted Pacquiao -- or a Pacquiao look-alike -- when he grabbed a postgame drink with Laird and video operations coordinator Jeremy "Grumpy" Kelch at a swank rooftop sports lounge in downtown Chicago.

A self-proclaimed admirer of most celebrities, Smyly decided to approach him and ask to take a picture alongside the eight-time division boxing champion.

"I get star struck easily," Smyly said. " I was just trying to get a picture with him, to be honest."

At first, Smyly said he was brushed aside, but word apparently spread to Pacquiao that the Tigers were in town and he soon engaged in a brief conversation with Smyly and his batterymate, Laird, and offered to take a picture with the two.

"In the picture, his fist is bigger than my fist," Smyly said. "You put two and two together and it has to be him. He was so small and his fist was so big."

Asked if Smyly would tweet the pictures to his followers to help solve the mystery, Smyly said he considered it.

"I was thinking about putting it out in a tweet, but I decided not to," he said.

Later that night, Smyly

and wished him luck in his next fight. He's scheduled to fight Timothy Bradley Jr. next month.

Prior to Tuesday's game, Laird and Smyly showed a handful of teammates the picture that was taken on a camera phone to get their opinion.

"I don't care what they say," Smyly said, "I'm saying it was him."

-- Follow James Schmehl on Twitter: @jamesschmehl.



