Saturday, June 1, 2019, Dodger Stadium. Dodgers playing the second game of a three-game set against the Phillies. Kershaw was facing Jose Alvarez of the Phillies. His catcher that day was rookie, Will Smith, who had been called up and made his debut just 3 days earlier on May 28th.
Kershaw was having a vintage Kershaw game. The Dodgers scored in the third on a single by Kike and Kersh gave up an unearned run When JT Realmuto drove in Harper after a Muncy error in the fourth. Alvarez lasted just two innings and was replaced by Nicasio, who got 1 out and was replaced by current Dodger, Cole Irvin.
David Freese hit his 5th homer of the year off of Irvin in the fifth. Beaty pinch hit for Kershaw and singled in the 7th, then was driven in by Max Muncy for a 3-1 Dodger lead. Julio Urias came in to pitch in the 8th. With 1 out, Urias hit Segura. He then gave up a game tying 2-run homer to Bryce Harper.
Hector Neris came in to pitch the 9th inning. He got Verdugo to make the first out, and the rookie, Will Smith stepped into the batter’s box. Smith hit a 2-2 pitch to deep left field for a walk off homer, the first of his major league career.
I was lucky enough to be in the stands that day with my sister and brother, Steve. Smith had gone 2-4 in his debut on the 28th of May. His homer was hit 4th hit in the majors. Later that season, Beaty, Verdugo, and Will, would hit walk-off homers in three straight games against the Rockies. Beaty on Friday, Verdugo in extra innings on Saturday, and on Sunday afternoon, June 23rd, Smith hit a 3-run, walk off pinch hit homer off of Scott Oberg. It was his 3rd of the year. He would end up with 15. LA carried 3 catchers that year, Austin Barnes, Russell Martin, and Smith. He had more homers than Barnes and Martin combined.
The Dodgers did not know it at the time, but they had called up a gem. We have been lucky to watch him grow as a player. Smith was born on March 28th, 1995, in Louisville Kentucky. Kentucky was also the birthplace of Hall of Famer, Pee Wee Reese, who was born in Ekron and is buried in Louisville.
Smith attended Kentucky Country Day School in Louisville. As a senior in 2013, he hit .528 with 11 homers and 36 RBIs and had a 7-1 record as a pitcher. He went undrafted and then enrolled at the University of Louisville. He played three years for the Colonels, and in the summer, he played in collegiate leagues, first at Newport in the New England League in 14, and then at Brewster in the Cape Cod League in 15.
In his junior year at Louisville, he slashed .382/.480/.567 with 7 homers and 43 driven in, in 55 games. He was selected in the first round of the 2016 draft and signed with the Dodgers for a 1.775 million-dollar-bonus.
Smith would play at 3 levels in 2016. He started off with the Ogden Raptors, 7 games, 23 games at Great Lakes, and then 25 at Rancho. He hit a combined .246. He had 4 homers and drove in 24. He started the 2017 season at Rancho, and was named to the mid-season All-Star team, hitting .232 in 72 games with 43 driven in. He was promoted to AA Tulsa but got a fractured hand in his debut and spent the rest of the year on the IL.
He split 2018 between Tulsa and AAA, OKC, batting .233 with 20 homers and 59 driven in. Smith started the 2019 season at OKC. On May 28th, he was called up to the Dodgers to replace the struggling Austin Barnes who was sent down to the minors.
After about a month with the team, he was sent back to OKC. He performed well and was named to the AAA All-Star team. Overall, in 19, he hit .268/20/59 there in 62 games. He hit a homer and 2 doubles in his first game back and drove in 6 runs against the Nationals, the most by a Dodger rookie since Loney in 2006.
With 26 RBIs and 9 homers in his first 23 games, he passed Cody Bellinger for the most in Dodger history by a rookie in that number of games. In LA’s loss to the Nationals in the NLDS, he went just 1-13. During the pandemic shortened 2020 season, Will slashed .289/8/25 in 37 games.
In the playoffs, he went 0-6 against Milwaukee in the Wild Card series. Against the Padres in the NLDS, he was5-11 with 2 doubles and 3 driven in. All 5 of his hits came in game 3, the first Dodger ever to have 5 hits in a postseason game. In the Championship series against Atlanta, he hit just .179. But in game 5 in the top of the 6th inning, LA down 3 games to 1 and down 2-1 in the game, he hit a 3-run homer against Braves reliever, Will Smith, putting LA up 4-2 in a game they would win, 7-3. He drove in 7 runs in the series.
Will played in all 6 games in the series hitting a homer in game 2, a 6-4 loss. He went 4-24 in the series. Will played in 130 games in 21. He established himself as the Dodger #1 backstop. He hit 25 homers and drove in 76 runs as the Dodgers finished a game back of the Giants in the West. He hit 2 homers and drove in 3 in the LDS against SF. In the loss to the Braves in the LCS, he had 1 homer and 1 driven in.
If there was a weakness in his game, it was throwing out runners attempting to steal. In 21, his first full season, he caught just 25% of those runners. He led the NL in stolen bases allowed, 72, and runners caught, 24. That number was 17.9% in 22 and 20.9% in 23. So even though he was hitting well, his defense against runners needed improvement.
In 24, that number jumped to 33.2%. Will hit 20 homers and drove in 75. He signed a 10-year extension in March. He hit his 100th homer as a Dodger in May becoming just the fourth catcher in Dodger history to reach that mark, Campy, Piazza, and Yeager were the others.
On July 5th, he hit 3 homers against the Brewers, joining Grandal, Piazza and Campy. In his first AB the next day he homered, tying the MLB record for 4 homers in 4 at bats. The first Dodger to do so since Adrian Gonzalez in 2015. He started every game in the postseason for LA. He hit under .200 in all three series but also homered in each series which ended with a Championship for the Dodgers.
His homer in game four of the LDS helped LA win 8-0 over the Padres. He homered in the game six win over the Mets. His World Series homer came in game four’s 11-4 loss. In 2025, Smith was the best hitter in the NL for most of the first half of the season.
After 74 games his line was .325/12/46. His OPS was .966. He hit well over .300 in every month but June. August though proved to be his Kryptonite. He hit just .159 in August. On June 28th, he hit a walk-off pinch hit homer against the Padres. It was his third pinch-hit walk-off homer of his career, breaking a tie with Rick Monday. On August 31st, he hit a pinch-hit walk-off against the D-Backs, putting him in second place in MLB history behind Jason Giambi who had 6. He was hit in the hand by a pitch on September 3rd and would miss the rest of the season.
He hit .296/17/61 and made his 3rd consecutive All-Star team. Still recovering when the post-season started, he did not play in the wild card series. He went 2-13 against the Phillies in the LDS with just 2 runs driven in. He hit .400 against the Brewers in the sweep in the LCS, but had no RBIs, and no extra base hits.
Will would catch every inning of the World Series. In game 2, he homered of Kevin Gausman in the 7th inning, giving LA a lead it would not lose. He drove in 3 of the Dodgers 5 runs. His run scoring double in game six started the scoring in a game the Dodgers would win. And we all know about his game winning homer in game seven.
Smith may eventually have to move to another position, but for now, he is the Dodgers starting catcher. One of the best clutch hitters in the game. He will be here for a long time, and Dodger fans should enjoy watching a true Captain Clutch.
Great piece and totally. He’s the guy you want up in the big situation [Freeman ain’t bad either].
Unrelated, Tucker really has a weird swing. As others have called it, it’s a stiff-wristed swinging gate clobber of a whack. But it works.
Impressed by Sheehan’s battle although I’d like to see more fastballs. I was rooting for him to throw more.
I agree, Tucker’s swing isn’t the typical “beautiful left handed stroke”.
However, dude definitely gets on base often so clearly he knows what he’s doing.
I seem to remember Joc’s swing being stiff as well, although it’s been a while since I’ve seen him hit, so maybe the comparison isn’t a valid one.
Give me Max’s swing any day. Setting aside results, I think he has one of the most beautiful swings in MLB.
Joc, when he was hot, usually had a real nice swing. But when he was slumping, it looked pretty ragged.
Would you rather have Alex Freeland and his .182 BA and .902 OPS or Hyeseong Kim and his .343 BA and his .823 OPS?
From AI:
In modern baseball, OPS (On-Base plus Slugging) is widely considered the more important metric for evaluating overall offensive value and predicting run production. While Batting Average (BA) remains a popular traditional measure for how often a player gets a hit, it is increasingly viewed as secondary in professional and analytical circles.
Why OPS is More Important
Superior Correlation to Runs: Studies across multiple seasons show that OPS has a much stronger correlation
with a team’s runs scored compared to Batting Average
Holistic Value: OPS captures two critical components of hitting that BA ignores:
Patience (OBP): Rewards players who draw walks and avoid making outs, which is fundamental to keeping an inning alive.
Power (SLG): Differentiates between a single and a home run, whereas BA treats every hit the same.
Predictive Success: Major League teams and front offices prioritize OPS (and its park-adjusted version, OPS+) for scouting, lineup construction, and contract negotiations because it better reflects a player’s true offensive impact.
Kim but I’m willing to give Freeland a fair shake and will certainly root for him.
I believe neither of those OPS numbers are sustainable. In 111 ML at bats Freeland is OPSn .637. In 161 at bats Kim is OPSn .699. Kim is faster and can play CF. Both are worthy of opportunity. I just like what Kim brings to the table more.
Kim for me with his speed on the bases. LA right now does not have much of that with so much age at the top of the lineup.
I tend to agree with you on Kim but Freeland is fairly quick on the bases and has more power.. He hasn’t shown tt yet. Only one SB last year and SP this year but cranked a homer this year .Gotta give him a chance before they send him down. Keeping a .180 BA/650 OPS is okay for a backup catcher (Barnes) but not a corner IF. If Kim plays the defense he played in KBO and in LA and hits around .280 with 30 SBs, I think he will fit in nicely while disrupting opposing pitching on the bases.
With this team, power is not really a need. I do see Mark’s point about OPS and getting on base to set up the big guns at the top of the order. Kim is a better defender at second, not so much at SS. But how much is Freeland going to play SS if at all? Rojas has no power to speak of.
Can’t compare numbers at OKC and Dodgers but since they chose Freeland, they have to give him a couple of months to see what he can do. But I prefer Kim. I like his speed snd base stealing ability
Would you rather face AAA pitching or MLB pitching?
Alex
I’d say OBP is the more important stat for the guy hitting ahead of Shohei…
Will Kim be called up if Mookie needs some time off? Mookie’s back pain is “moderate,” according to Doc, who risn’t a doc. I doubt if he goes on the IL. Freeland, Rojas and Espinal can cover for him.
How will the lineup be shuffled in the meantime?
I’d like to see Smith should bat 3rd and the red-hot Pages promoted to bat 5th behind Freddie….
4:05 PM ET
Dodgers (5-2)
Nationals (3-4)
SP Tyler Glasnow R
0-0 3.00 ERA
SP Jake Irvin R
1-0 3.60 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
RF Kyle Tucker L
SS Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
3B Max Muncy L
CF Andy Pages R
2B A. Freeland S
LF Alex Call R
86° Wind 10 mph
Teo sits
River Ryan is the starting pitcher for AAA Oklahoma City tonight
Will Smith is 5 postseason RBI’s from passing Posada for the most in MLB history.
Will Smith is on the road to the Hall of Fame.He is a three-time All-Star and a three-time World Series champion.
All-Star Selections: 3 (2023, 2024, 2025).
World Series Titles: 3 (2020, 2024, 2025).
Or will he? Posada was a 5 time all star and silver slugger award winner. He also played on 4 WS title teams. His downside are some defensive metrics and a lifetime WAR of 40. While Smith, I think is better defensively, at his current pace, I doubt he reaches 50 WAR.
Personally, I agree with you, but if Posada isn’t in it could be hard for Smith.
Yeah, I’m not sure he’s ever been the best Catcher in the game while he played (Realmuto, Raleigh, Ruschman) so not sure he’s gonna end up there.
Smith has hit that RBI mark in about 50 less postseason games than Posada. Who knows about the Hall of fame. Borderline. A lot of guys getting in lately that I would never vote for.
We are judging Smith’s case for the HOF about five years early…
He should rack up more all-star and October accolades.
Alejandro Kirk will miss the series with the Dodgers. He was placed on the 10-day IL today with a fractured thumb. Brandon Valenzuela has been recalled from AAA. He will share duties with Tyler Heineman. Justin Verlander was placed on the 15-day IL with hip inflammation. I liked Sheehan’s grit yesterday, but he has lost some velocity. Not sure if it is physical or mechanical. I understand why Doc is giving Teo a day off. He got 3 hits yesterday, 2 of them were infield hits. Call also needs to get a little playing time and as we all have learned about Doc, he likes giving his regulars a day off now and then.
Major bummer for the Jays. I think it will take a lot more than 10 days for Kirk to recover from a fractured thumb…
Heineman replaced and promptly committed two costly throwing errors.
Gotta love Kirk and how he proves that short, roly-poly guys can be MLB all-stars… I would love to see an LA-Toronto rematch in October.
Good to see Call take advantage of his start. Roberts, I think, should do a little “load management” with Freddie to give Rushing more reps.
Tucker getting an off day on Sunday and Call will be in right. I think Freddie gets one sometime this week, but Rushing will start at catcher on Sunday.
Soto to get MRI for possible calf injurie, Rockies claimed Sammy Peralta from the Brewers.
I watched the Tower Buzzers game for a bit last night. That new ballpark in Ontario is really nice. Would love to see a game there sometime.
Dustin May got hammered again today and is off to a horrible start with Cards. Feel bad for the young man. I thought he was going to be a star.
Major bummer for the Jays. I think it will take a lot more than 10 days for Kirk to recover from a fractured thumb…
Heineman replaced and promptly committed two costly throwing errors.
Gotta love Kirk and how he proves that short, roly-poly guys can be MLB all-stars… I would love to see an LA-Toronto rematch in October.
Good to see Call take advantage of his start. Roberts, I think, should do a little “load management” with Freddie to give Rushing more reps.
Cam Leiter sighting!
3IP | 1H | 0R | 3Ks | 0BB
In his Dodgers system debut. Lots of buzz around him after shoulder injuries and his 2nd round pick.
Big fastball with movement. Slider too. But most importantly , seems to be starting 2026 healthy.
I like speed, but the Dodgers do not emphasize that at all. If this were the Brewers, yes Kim would be up. The Dodgers are built on OBP and Slug AKA OPS. Yes, Kim can play CF, but he isn’t. He has played all of 2 innings in CF, 9 at SS, and 42 at 2B thus far this year.
The Dodgers thus far show no inclination to run. They have 2 SB in 7 games, both by Tucker. No other LAD has even attempted a SB. I would like to see more, but it is not important for the LAD success. I do give Kim credit for increasing his BB and dropping his K rate, and that will give him a better OPS.
Freeland has a .902 OPS, 4th on the team. I agree he will not stay there, but he is now. He is 3 years younger than Kim and IMO deserves the long leash.
If you want speed and defense in CF call up Kendall George.
Leiter is who I was advocating for last year. I love that they got him in the 2nd round, after a good first round with Root and Davalan.
Will Smith is 31 years old and has a career BA of .263. He has 666 hits and 130 HR. Currently, he has a 23.0 WAR. Even if he beats Posada’s record, he will still have to buy a ticket to get admission to the Hall of Fame.
Maybe Doc will be on the veterans committee and give him the Harold Baines treatment.
I guess Mookie hurt his back somehow in the first inning and was removed.
Hopefully not too bad
Keston Hiura has been released by LAD.
What took so long? 😉
OH NO!!!
He wasn’t going to play here, but may be somebody else gives him a shot.
Pages is en fuego – just wow! And he has clearly improved defensively in CF as well — he looks much better on balls he has to go back on. So fun to watch a young player develop into a superstar!
He definitely gets better reads on balls. He quickly went from passable to good in CF. He did make some bonehead decisions throwing the ball last year. Hopefully that improves too. I imagine when you have a cannon you think you can throw everyone out. Maturity should help that.
I just checked and it looks like Keston Hiura did not play at OKC. Maybe he asked for his release?
He porbably did. I believe he started the season on the Development List.
Dave Roberts said Mookie Betts (back) will undergo an MRI tonight. Said Betts felt his back tighten up while running the bases in the first. Roberts described it as more “moderate than serious” but does not expect Betts to play the next couple of days.
Expect Kim, so the silliness about him starting in the minors will thankfully recede away…
According to you
Kim won’t be called up unless Betts needs to move to the IL. If it is just a couple of days off, they won’t recall anyone.
Kim is on a flight tonight to D.C. Tibbs has hit two dingers and threw someone out at the plate. River Ryan looked real good. Two infield hits. Miller screwed up a double play ball in the 5th that cost Ryan his runs.
Kim is simply coming just in case Betts has to go on the IL. Hard to pinpoint what is wrong when you have back pain.
Freeland’s, while hitting 9th, best bet for playing time is getting on base and playing good defense
Tibbs just hit his 3rd dinger of the night. The broadcast did say Kim was scratched from the lineup and put on a flight to D.C. Basically, he’s on the taxi squad until they know Mookie’s results.
He’s unconscious.
Wonder if he’ll Tanya Harding Teo’s knee
Well Kim is on his way. Teo better not turn his back. LOL
I know that was tongue in cheek, but no way Kim replaces Teo.
AF should cut a deal for CJA while he’s in Washington.
To be Mookie’s backup?
He would be wonderful at 2B. Thats not going to happen but he’s a talented player.
No happening. Guy is a subpar SS. He has averaged 20 errors a year. Nice bat, but that is about it.