Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) celebrates after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eleventh inning during game seven of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre on Saturday. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Dodgers' Will Smith Sets Unbreakable World Series Record in Game 7

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By J.P. Hoornstra | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 1:18 AM ET

Even if he had not hit the home run in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the World Series that forever became a part of Dodgers history, Will Smith had already set a baseball record Saturday that's unlikely to be broken.

The 30-year-old catcher backstopped every inning of all seven games of the World Series. That included a marathon 18-inning Game 3 on Monday in Los Angeles, and all 11 innings Saturday.

Smith caught 73 innings in total, breaking Lou Criger's record of 71 innings caught in the eight-game 1903 World Series. Muddy Ruel set the record of 67 innings caught in a seven-game series in 1924.

Will Smith caught 73 innings this World Series

That’s the most caught in a WS, surpassing:

71, Lou Criger 1903 (8 games)

Prior most in 7g WS: ⁰67, Muddy Ruel 1924

h/t @EliasSports
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) November 2, 2025

Smith was one of many heroes in the Dodgers' 5-4 series-clinching victory in Game 7 on Saturday. None of them spent more time in a crouch over the past week than Smith.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was concerned enough about the toll of putting Smith through all 18 innings of Game 3 that he texted his catcher prior to Game 4.

"I texted him (Tuesday) morning and said, How do you feel? He said he felt great, which I would expect that," Roberts said of Smith. "I was trying to hold as long as I could because I felt -- again, certainly when we got to the end over there with their 'pen, there were just left-handed pitchers, and they were going to run (Eric) Lauer, so to have him in there, potentially, we still needed to find a way to score.

"But if there was a situation where I needed to run for him, I had a couple guys ready, and Ben (Rortvedt, the backup catcher) was ready, but I was trying to hold on (Smith) as long as I could."

Roberts held on, and on, and on. He even promoted Smith to the number-2 spot in the batting order for Game 6, replacing Mookie Betts, and kept him there for Game 7.

Despite the heavy workload, Smith hardly looked any worse for the wear as the series dragged on. He went 2 for 6 in Game 7, hitting a double in the second inning against Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer in addition to his home run in the 11th inning against Shane Bieber.

More to come on this story.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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