Will Smith’s hilarious response to missing out on exclusive 4-homer club
The Los Angeles Dodgers (54-35) came into the opening game of their series versus the Milwaukee Brewers (52-37) a little out of sorts after losing two out of three to both the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks, but they made plenty of noise on Friday night. And the team largely has catcher Will Smith to thank for it.
The 2023 All-Star (will likely be one this year as well) continues to rediscover his stroke and enjoyed a spectacular night in Dodger Stadium. He blasted three solo home runs, all of which LA needed to earn a 8-5 victory over the National League Central leaders. He is only the fourth catcher in the franchise’s long, storied history to launch three dingers in one game.
But unfortunately, attention sometimes shifts to what one narrowly missed rather than what they actually achieved. With the score tied at 5 in the bottom of the eighth inning, courtesy of Smith, The Boys in Blue applied the pressure on the Brewers’ bullpen. The 29-year-old stepped up to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second base and drew his second walk of the evening.
The late-game heroics were then seized by a familiar culprit, Freddie Freeman, who drove in the go-ahead runs with a clutch single. If Will Smith had launched another ball over the fence, he would have become just the third Dodgers player to ever hit four homers in a single game (Gil Hodges and Shawn Green).
Smith was asked if he knew how many players occupied this exclusive four-timers club, and he responded rather succinctly and amusingly. “Well, I’m not one of them,” he said, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. “So…”
Will Smith is getting hot at the perfect time for Dodgers
Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
It is good to see that the former first-round pick is not getting a big head following his showstopping night. He deserves to bask in his remarkable feat of strength, however, especially given the timing of it. LA is now in the middle of a six-game stretch in which it faces the two NL teams it has sandwiched in between, Milwaukee and the MLB-best Philadelphia Phillies.
Securing a bye and home-field advantage for the playoffs will allow the Dodgers to set up its starting pitching rotation and feed off their crowd, two things that did not factor in last year but should be worth having in October. Faring well in the coming days could give them some more breathing room from the Brewers and cut the Phillies’ deficit a bit.
A red-hot Will Smith increases the likelihood of Los Angeles entering the MLB All-Star break on a high note. After batting a measly .203 with only two home runs in June, he has notched eight hits in his last 17 at-bats. Smith perfectly summed up his abrupt turnaround at the plate.
“I think that’s baseball,” he said postgame, via DiGiovanna. “There’s always ups and downs. Just continued to work, mix in minor swing adjustments. I think over the last week, there has been better contact, and yeah, tonight, there were a few out there…It’s what I did all game. I was just trying to make a good decision on what pitch to swing at and put a good swing on it.”
Although Smith fell short of attaining Dodgers immortality, he is absolutely locked in right now. LA looks to ride his surge when it tries to clinch the series against Milwaukee on Saturday night.
The post Will Smith’s hilarious response to missing out on exclusive 4-homer club appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings