Will Smith’s pinch-hit, walk-off 420-foot homer to left-center field gave the Dodgers a much-needed 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks last Sunday on a very hot day at Dodger Stadium. Smith was pinch-hitting for rookie catcher Dalton Rushing in the bottom of the nineth inning and launched it out of the park on the second pitch from Arizona pitcher John Curtiss. The ball was clocked at coming off Smith’s bat at 109.2 mph.
The Dodgers now have nine walk-off wins this year. With this win, the Dodgers prevented being swept in the three-game series. This is Smith’s second pinch-hit, walk-off home run this year (the other June 18 vs. Padres) and fourth pinch-hit homer of his career. All four of those have been walk-offs, which is the second most all-time behind Jason Giambi’s six.
Through July, Smith had been the Dodgers’ most consistent hitter, but he entered Sunday hitting .147 with a .568 OPS in August, his first sub-par month of the season.
Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts continues to have faith and confidence in his starting catcher, even with a down month in August, and had no hesitation calling his number to pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth. “I think he’s got a calm heartbeat,” Roberts said after the game. “He’s not afraid to fail. He loves being in that moment and he’s always a good choice. And has obviously come up with a lot of big hits. That was a big one.”
With this win, the Dodgers remain at the top and moved two games ahead of the Padres in the NL West.
The Dodgers now hit the road for six games starting in Pittsburgh last Tuesday. They were beaten by the Pirates in that game 9-7. They face Pittsburgh again on September 3, and September 4, before they head to Baltimore to battle the Orioles for another three-game series. They will be back home for a three-game series against the Rockies starting September 8.