In many ways, 2025 was a career-defining season for Will Smith. Not only did he have the best offensive regular season of his seven years in the Majors, but Smith was also instrumental in helping the Los Angeles Dodgers repeat as World Series champions.
Smith was among the Dodgers’ World Series heroes, and in Game 7 specifically with his go-ahead solo home run in the 11th inning that proved to be the difference. It was a historic moment, as Smith became the first player ever to hit a homer during extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series.
He also caught every single inning during the series against the Toronto Blue Jays. That amounted to Smith setting a World Series record for a catcher at 73 innings.
It’s easy to forget because of how unfazed he looked behind the plate and in the batter’s box, but at one point Smith’s status for the postseason seemed to be up in the air after he suffered a hairline fracture in his right hand during the regular season.
He did not appear in the Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds, with Ben Rortvedt starting both games. Smith made his first postseason appearance in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, but did not make his first start until Game 3.
Despite the impediment, Smith was excellent on both sides of the ball during the World Series. He had a perfect fielding percentage, recorded two assists and threw out two of the four runners attempting to steal a base.
He was also the Dodgers’ second-most productive batter in the World Series, behind Shohei Ohtani, hitting .267/.353/.533 with two doubles, two homers, six RBI and reached base on balls four times.
Will Smith’s World Series home run ball sold
Smith’s 11th-inning home run ended up in the hands of Canadian father-son duo John and Matthew Bains, who also caught Miguel Rojas’s game-tying homer in the ninth inning.
The pair sold Smith’s ball for $168,000, while Rojas’ fetched $156,000 on Oct. 25.
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