AUTHOR
Matt Borelli
Will Smith tied an MLB record by hitting a home run in four consecutive at-bats. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ catcher slugged three in Friday’s 8-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers and then added another one in his first at-bat on Saturday.
Smith extended his home run streak in the bottom of the first inning with a two-run blast off Freddy Peralta that gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
“Just trying to get something to hit. Put a good wing on a fastball,” Smith said of his at-bat.
The 29-year-old’s home run was the first of three hit by the Dodgers in their 5-3 win. “Just a lot of good at-bats overall for us. We played well, team at-bats and all our pitchers held up big,” Smith said.
Smith now has 15 home runs on the year and is hitting a scorching .294/.385/.706 over his last eight games after slumping for most of June.
“Probably,” manager Dave Roberts answered when asked if this is the best two-day stretch he has seen from Smith.
“Know that he’s thrown out a lot of hits and had a lot of big games and big series, but to be able to use the whole field, take the walks when he needs to. They’re running some good arms at him, and he’s still controlling the zone.
“And even that at-bat, where he struck out versus (Freddy) Peralta, that fifth inning or fourth inning, whatever it was. I mean, that’s a 12-13 pitch at-bat, battling 99 (mph) and still sees a bunch of pitches. Even his outs are really quality at-bats.”
Smith didn’t have much of an explanation for his hot hitting and noted he merely was “sticking to my approach and barreling the ball in the air.”
“I’ve always been a guy that just tries to stick my approach, whatever it is in that moment,” he added. “Stick to it, hopefully good things happen. They don’t always happen, but I was able to get a few out in a row.”
Will Smith joins players with 4 home runs in a row
Smith became the first Dodgers player to homer in four consecutive at-bats since Adrián González (April 7-8, 2015). He is also the first MLB player to accomplish this feat since Jose Altuve hit four in a row on Sept. 4-5, 2023
