It was just over five years ago in 2020 when left-handed hitting first baseman Dominic Smith was statistically one of the best hitters in baseball. That COVID-shortened MLB season saw a lot of outliers, and Smith’s 13th-place MVP finish was among them. In 50 games that season, he hit .316 with a .993 OPS that translated to a sky-high 168 OPS+. He hit 10 home runs and drove in 42 runs, which had him on pace for a 30/100 season had it been a normal year.
Since that season, Smith has rated above league average offensively just once, and that came in his 63 games last season with the San Francisco Giants. Regaining some of his old form, Smith posted a 114 OPS+ in 225 plate appearances for San Francisco last season, which helped him land an opportunity with the Atlanta Braves this offseason. In 43 spring training plate appearances, Smith posted a .750 OPS, homering once and driving in five runs.
Now on Atlanta’s roster, Smith got his first opportunity of the 2026 MLB season on Sunday and made the most of it. Stepping to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning against Kansas City Royals closer Carlos Estévez, Smith hit a walk-off grand slam to give Atlanta a 6–2 win.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Smith opened up about losing his mother to cancer just two weeks ago. He said this made tonight’s moment even more special and even revealed the fan who caught the ball returned it to him (via Grant McAuley of 929 The Game).
“I definitely did,” Smith said via Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “I got choked up a bunch of times and I’m trying to hold back tears right now. It’s just so special. I feel her every day. I miss her dearly. There’s not a moment where I don’t think about her.”
A veteran who has been through a lot in his career, Smith earned his spot on the Braves and earned this moment.
Now 30 years old, Smith debuted in 2017 with New York after being made the 11th overall pick out of JSerra High School in 2013. Smith appeared in 447 games for New York across six seasons and has bounced around since, spending time with the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Giants, New York Yankees and now Braves.
With an opportunity to play an important role both on the field and in the clubhouse for Atlanta, Smith hopes to help the Braves in their pursuit of a National League East division title this season. Last year’s production in San Francisco was a good sign that he can still be a positive contributor at the plate, and Sunday’s big swing was the first chance he had to show that to his new team and fan base.