Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) hits a double during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers' Will Smith Makes History, Caps Off Marathon At-Bat With Home Run

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Sam Connon | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 9:57 AM ET

Locked in a 3-3 tie with their rival San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Dodgers' star catcher came through with a historic performance at the plate.

Will Smith stepped into the batter's box with no outs and one man on in the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday night and fouled off the first pitch he saw. He took ball one, then fouled off three more pitches.

From there, Smith took ball two, fouled off four more pitches, then watched Jeremiah Estrada barely miss low and inside for ball three. On pitch No. 12 of the at-bat, Smith turned on another 99 mile-per-hour fastball inside and sent it 388 feet to left-center for a two-run home run.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, it marked the fifth instance of a Dodgers hitter capping off an at-bat of 12 or more pitches with a home run since pitch counts started being tracked in 1988. Smith now accounts for two of those five, having previously accomplished the feat on May 29, 2022.

Most pitches in AB ending in HR, Dodgers since pitch counts tracked (1988):

5/12/04 Alex Cora: 18
8/11/21 Cody Bellinger: 13
Today Will Smith: 12
5/29/22 Will Smith: 12
5/21/90 Jose Gonzalez: 12 https://t.co/30la2RGX8n
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 18, 2025

Smith is one of six players since 2000 with multiple home runs on 12-plus-pitch at-bats, per Langs. The rest of the club is made up of Jesus Aguilar, Dan Uggla, Paul Goldschmidt, Todd Helton and Jose Ramirez.

The Dodgers took a 5-3 lead thanks to Smith's blend of plate discipline and pop, then scored three more runs that inning to make it an 8-3 ballgame. San Diego staged a bit of a comeback with a three-spot in the seventh, but Los Angeles still held on to win 8-6.

Smith is now batting .330 with seven home runs, 14 doubles, 40 RBIs, a .947 OPS and a 3.0 WAR through 58 games this season, leading the National League with a .426 on-base percentage. That production has the 30-year-old backstop tracking to make his third consecutive All-Star appearance in 2025.

The Dodgers and Padres will resume their series at 10:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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