The LOS ANGELES Dodgers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 8-5 on Friday night thanks in large part to three home runs from Will Smith.
Fans on X formerly Twitter showed their delight by voting big Willy as their player of the game.
He joins Hall of Famers Roy Campanella (1950), Mike Piazza (1996), and Yasmani Grandal (2016) as the only other Dodgers catcher to hit three in a single game.
“Those are obviously really good catchers,” Smith said. “Just to be mentioned is humbling.”
Smith hit his 12th, 13th, and 14th home run of the year with those hits.
In the first and third innings, Aaron Civale’s opening pitch scored his first two runs, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. With two outs in the seventh inning, reliever Bryan Hudson hit his sixth pitch to tie the game at five.
Smith walked in his other plate appearance.
“Very impressive, going to right-center field, then to left field, and then hitting one off the foul pole,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts remarked. “He simply doesn’t receive the credit he merits for being one of the best two catchers in the game because he is so reliable.”
Information from ESPN was used in this report.
