The Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen squandered a four-run lead in the seventh inning, but the club still prevailed to edge out a 6-5 win over the New York Mets on Friday thanks to Will Smith’s late-game heroics.
With the score all evened up at four, Smith delivered a go-ahead, two-run homer off Jeurys Familia in the top of the 10th, scoring Max Muncy, who began the inning on second base.
“I was just trying to get a ball up in the air to center or right-center, move a guy over and just do situational hitting,” Smith said after the game. “It crept in a little bit and I just turned on it. Still got it in the air and it snuck out.”
Despite only being in his third Major League season, Smith has had a knack for coming through in the clutch for the Dodgers. Two of his first three home runs were walk-off fashion, and he more recently hit a game-winning blast against the San Francisco Giants last month.
“I like them,” Smith said of high-pressure situations. “I’ve had success late in games, so yeah, I feel confident. I feel like I know what I’m doing, stick to my plan and I’m able to execute in those situations.
“You’re not always successful, and when you are it’s pretty enjoyable and a lot of fun.”
Clearly not lacking in confidence, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also trusts Smith to deliver in big spots. “I’m just confident in Will. I really am. You’ve seen it time and time again,” Roberts said.
“The pulse, the heartbeat, stays in the strike zone, doesn’t run from it. You’re not going to be successful every time, but you can just tell when a player embraces those moments.
“There’s big spots where he can take a walk, and takes the walk. There’s big spots when he can hit a homer, and he hits a homer. We have a lot of those guys, but I’ll tell you, Will, for being a young player, he’s right there at the top.
“He has a lot of guys to watch in the lineup that can do the same thing.”
Dodgers avoid tying Expos’ MLB record
By defeating the Mets in 10 innings, the Dodgers snapped their streak of losses in extra innings at 11 games, which was one shy of tying the MLB record held by the 1969 Montreal Expos.
Prior to Friday, the Dodgers’ last win in extras came April 16 when they defeated the San Diego Padres in 12 innings at Petco Park.
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