May 15, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
LOS ANGELES — The reserves for the All-Star Game will be announced on Sunday, and all signs point toward Dodgers catcher Will Smith making his second appearance in the Midsummer Classic.
His numbers leading up to Friday’s game were already good enough. But just to erase any possible doubt, Smith delivered one of the best games of his career, launching three homers against the Brewers, including a game-tying solo blast off the foul pole in the seventh inning to help the Dodgers beat Milwaukee, 8-5, at Dodger Stadium.
Smith became just the fourth catcher in franchise history with a three-homer game, joining Hall of Famers Roy Campanella and Mike Piazza, as well as Yasmani Grandal, who accomplished the feat almost eight years to the date on July 8, 2016. He also became the second Dodger to hit three homers in a game this season, joining Max Muncy, who did it on May 4 against the Braves.
Over the last month, Smith hasn’t had the same impact offensively the Dodgers have grown accustomed to since he became the everyday catcher in 2020. He had homered just twice since the start of June.
Still, when Smith gets inside the box, he’s one of the most feared offensive-minded catchers in the league. He showed why again on Friday.
While it was Smith who carried the Dodgers’ offense for most of the night, they got some timely hitting in the eighth from Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández, who seem to come up big in every late-inning situation this season.
