Will Smith Joins Exclusive Company in Dodgers History

Maren Angus-Coombs | May 30, 2024

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Will Smith launched himself in the Los Angeles Dodgers history books on Wednesday with his 100th career home run — an eighth-inning solo homer that broke a tie against the New York Mets and gave the Dodgers the lead for good.

It was his second long ball of the day. His first was a solo homer in the second inning which gave the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead.

I said it yesterday and I’ll say it again:

Will Smith is America’s catcher 🚨

🎥: @SportsNetLA pic.twitter.com/1WiehFcDiq

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) May 29, 2024

The Dodgers backstop joined an exclusive list with his second homer becoming the fourth catcher in franchise history to hit 100 home runs. The elite list includes Roy Campanella (242), Mike Piazza (177), and Steve Yeager (100).

“That’s really cool,” Smith said of joining that company. “It’s a cool accomplishment and cool milestone for me. But right now we’re just focused on winning and trying to hit 101 on Friday.”

Will Smith crushes his second homer of the game to give the @Dodgers the lead! pic.twitter.com/Jjo6KDn9Vc

— MLB (@MLB) May 29, 2024

There's another impressive detail to Smith's home runs. He has either given the Dodgers a lead or tied the score in a game with 51 of them. The trend began with his first career home run on June 1, 2019, against the Philadelphia Phillies being a walk-off. Now, his last three home runs have fit that category.

Smith has five homers in his last eight games and leads all Major League catchers with a .516 slugging percentage.

The Dodgers head home for a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium starting Friday.