Will Smith's walk-off HR sinks Padres in thriller

LOS ANGELES – Another thrilling game ended dramatically as Will Smith hit a pinch-hit walk-off home run, leading the Dodgers to a 4-3 victory over the Padres on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, with 53,568 fans in attendance.

The Padres were determined not to give up easily, trailing 3-1 as they entered the ninth inning. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski was on the mound for his fifth inning of work, but his impressive outing took a turn when he allowed two runs in the ninth. Luis Arraez led off with a single, followed by a hard-hit ball to Max Muncy. Muncy attempted to throw to second for a force out, but Edman was unable to complete the catch, resulting in an error and leaving the runners safe. Gavin Sheets then stepped up and hit a single, loading the bases with no outs.

Jake Cronenworth hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Arraez. With one out, Xander Bogaerts stepped up to the plate and hit a double, which tied the game at three. In the ninth inning, Wrobleski faced a crucial situation. Manager Roberts had the option to bring in Kirby Yates for the save, as he mentioned that Yates was potentially ready to pitch in the ninth. However, he decided to preserve the bullpen and stick with Wrobleski for a consecutive fifth inning, which ultimately resulted in Wrobleski blowing the save.

Smith came in to pinch-hit for Kike Hernandez, who had previously pinch-hit for Hyeseong Kim in the seventh inning. Smith faced a 90 mph changeup and launched it 377 feet for a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth. This was Smith's eighth home run of the season, bringing his total to 41 runs batted in. Additionally, this marked Smith's third career pinch-hit walk-off homer, breaking the tie with Rick Monday for the most in Dodgers history.

“It was cool,” Smith said. “I was excited, walk-offs are really fun.”

Smith has excelled in the first six games against the Padres, batting .529 with a 9-for-17 record, including three home runs, two doubles, and seven runs batted in.

It was another memorable night at Dodger Stadium, highlighted by a walk-off home run. However, the evening was even more special due to right-hander Emmet Sheehan making his return to the mound after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2023. Sheehan finished the 2023 season with a record of 4-1 and a 4.92 ERA before he had surgery. After completing a few rehab assignments with Oklahoma City, he was promoted to the major league team, as the Dodgers desperately needed pitching, this need heightened by Shohei Ohtani's recent return to the mound after his own surgery.

Sheehan struck out all three batters he faced in the fourth inning, reaching a total of 65 pitches, which was the limit set by Dave Roberts for Sheehan in his debut on Wednesday. Overall, Sheehan completed four innings, allowing three hits and one run while recording six strikeouts in his season debut.

“I feel like execution was good,” Sheehan said.

Sheehan's contribution allowed the Dodgers to conserve some bullpen arms, as they utilized left-hander Justin Wrobleski after Sheehan's four innings. Wrobleski pitched five innings, allowing four hits and striking out three on 74 pitches.

The Dodgers' offense came to life in the fifth inning, starting with Max Muncy hitting a leadoff triple that sailed over Fernando Tatis' head, putting him in scoring position for Andy Pages. After his outstanding performance on Tuesday night, Pages brought in the first run of the game for the Dodgers with a sacrifice fly. Tommy Edman followed with a single, and Hyeseong Kim hit a ground-rule double to right field, placing runners on second and third with one out. Dodgers rookie catcher Dalton Rushing started behind the plate in place of Will Smith, who was given a scheduled day off.

With a full count against him, Rushing observed an 89 mph cutter and then drove it into right field for a go-ahead, two-run single in the fifth inning. Rushing shared his feelings about his offensive success on Wednesday night.

“It’s a boost of confidence,” Rushing said. “I haven’t shown the hitter that I am in the box since I’ve been here.”

Rushing acknowledges that it has been a challenging adjustment since joining the Dodgers a few weeks ago. He understands that his role will be limited to a few plate appearances, but he struggles to find an offensive rhythm without the opportunity to play every day.

“It’s different not playing every day,” Rushing said. “This is my role, and essentially, I’m going to do whatever I have to do to help this team win, and that’s the only thing on my mind.”

Rushing, 24, is experiencing his first thrilling series against the Padres and acknowledges that winning against them is different.

“It’s a lot more fun when you beat them,” Rushing said.

The Dodgers went on to score three runs in that inning against right-hander Stephen Kolek, who pitched 6 ⅓ innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs while walking one batter. Kolek was impressive as he navigated through the Dodgers’ offense in the first four innings, striking out three batters on 97 pitches.

Things got interesting in the seventh inning when Kolek hit Pages in the left shoulder. Both benches were on the edge of the dugout, ready for fireworks, but the situation did not escalate.

Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, and Ohtani went a combined 0-for-11 at the plate, while Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Pages, Edman, and Kim each had one hit. The Dodgers’ offense produced a total of seven hits for the night.

The Dodgers have now won three consecutive games against the Padres and have taken five of six matchups this season. With one game left on Thursday, the Dodgers are aiming to sweep the series at Dodger Stadium. Manager Dave Roberts is looking forward to seeing Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound.

“We’ve got one more game and I want to put these guys away,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers will start Yamamoto, who has a record of 6-5 and a 2.64 ERA. He is coming off a disappointing loss in his most recent game. The Padres will counter with right-hander Ryan Bergert, who has a record of 1-0 and a 2.33 ERA, as they attempt to avoid a sweep by the Dodgers.