June 19 (UPI) — Will Smith sat on the Los Angeles Dodgers bench all night before being called to the on-deck circle. He responded by hitting the third pitch he saw for a record-setting pinch-hit, walk-off home run out of Dodger Stadium.
Smith clobbered the 0-2 changeup for a game-winning, 377-foot blast in the bottom of the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday in Los Angeles. With the dramatic solo shot, Smith set a record for the most pinch-hit, walk-off homer runs (three) in Dodgers history.
“Fortunately, I’ve had a few walk-off homers,” Smith told reporters. “It’s hard to top one.”
No Dodgers player recorded more than one hit on the night. Outfielder Andy Pages logged a double and drove in a run. Catcher Dalton Rushing hit a two-run single. Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan allowed three hits and one run over four innings, but was not a record for a decision.
Catcher Elias Diaz hit an RBI single to give the Padres a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Pages tied the score with an RBI sacrifice fly in the fifth. Rushing ripped his two-run single to right in the same inning for a 3-1 Dodgers lead.
But the Padres tied the score in the top of the ninth. First baseman Luis Arraez started the inning with a leadoff single. Third baseman Manny Machado and left fielder Gavin Sheets also reached base through the next two at-bats.
Second baseman Jake Cronenworth cut the deficit to one with a sacrifice fly RBI in the next exchange. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts hit an RBI double two pitches later, tying the score at 3-3.
Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman started the final half-inning with a pop out. Smith then settled in against Padres relief pitcher Robert Suarez. The right-handed pitcher started the exchange with a 97.2-mph fastball, which Smith fouled off.
Smith also fouled off his next offering, a 96.6-mph sinker, before settling in for a final heave. Suarez finished the exchange with a 90.9-mph changeup, which he left low in the middle of the strike zone.
Smith dropped his bat and got under the throw, sending the ball to right field, where it just cleared the outfield fence and gave the Dodgers a narrow win.
Smith, who entered the game tied with Rick Monday for the most pinch-hit, walk-off homers in Dodgers history, needs three more such blasts to tie Jason Giambi for the MLB record (six). He is in a three-way tie for second with Charlie Culberson, Larry Sheets and Gates Brown.
“He’s the best catcher in baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Smith. “He’s going to be a starter in the All-Star Game. He’s just a tough, young ball player. Going through the injuries and still never making an excuse for it.
“Now, he’s healthy, he’s strong, as you can see in the batters box and behind the plate. He is really performing. It’s just good to see him because I’ve always had the utmost confidence in Will as a ball player.”
Smith, who is to make his third All-Star appearance, has hit a National League best .333 with eight home runs and 41 RBIs through his first 59 appearances this season.
With Wednesday’s win, the Dodgers (46-29) extended a five-game winning streak. They sit in first place in the National League West, 4.5 games ahead of the second-place San Francisco Giants (41-33). The Padres (39-34) are six games behind the division-leading Dodgers.
The Dodgers will host the Padres in the series finale at 10:10 p.m. EDT Thursday at Dodger Stadium.
