Will Smith did it again. The Los Angeles Dodgers owe a victory to Smith and his late game heroism.
The primary catcher of Los Angeles crushed a pinch hit Walk-off Home Run to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday with 5-4.
With the game on four in the bottom of the ninth, Smith was called to do something he became famous for – an end to the game like a pinch hitter. Smith, Rocte, delivered a solo shot to the left midfield and handed the Dodgers their 78th victory of the season, one that was also avoided by Arizona.
But although Smith’s unlikely heroic deeds are great, they are not as surprising as they seem. Catchers deserve the tendency to earn pinch-hit at-bats, especially because they need more days off than most other players. The routine of the position justified occasionally a rest, often on Sundays to close a weekend series.
However, it makes sense to still give a catcher with as much doll as Smith leaves a pinch hit chance in a close game.
And of course Smith is no stranger in hitting home runs. He now has 127 in six years And 17 of the season so far. He has reached at least 20 in three of the last four years, with his only sub-20 campaign that was one shy at 19.
Smith is just one of the best catchers in baseball, with a .293 average with 60 RBI and an on-base percentage of .404. His current 4.3 war (wins over replacement) for the 2025 season would be his best for a single season.
Smith, a two-time World Series champion, is also linked in the late season. He has eight long balls and 29 RBI in 57 Playoff games so far in his career.
The most striking thing is that Smith 13 RBI included in the play-offs during the Dodgers’ Championship Run in the COVID-19-Shorted 2020 and .417 struck in the late season of 2023.
It is about to think about opposing managers to just run an equipped Smith with a base open when they see him step on the board as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the ninth or in extra innings.
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