Less than two weeks after he lost his mother to cancer, Braves designated hitter Dominic Smith said he felt her presence as he celebrated one of the most dramatic hits of his career.
Smith became the first player in MLB history to hit a walk-off grand slam in his debut with a new team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, finishing off the Braves’ six-run ninth inning in a 6-2 home win over the Kansas City Royals.
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“It’s just amazing,” said Smith, who was one of the last players to make the Braves’ Opening Day roster. “Played against the Braves for a long time, and being on the other side a lot of these endings kind of hurt, so to be on the right side of it this time was so fun.”
Smith told reporters after the game the Braves had been very supportive during spring training when his mother was ill. She was diagnosed with cancer in September and almost died at the start of camp. Smith said he left the team for a little over a week when she had a “scare,” and returned because he was fighting for a job. He was not with her in California when she died.
“This team is just so awesome,” Smith said. “I’m so blessed because of the love they showed me, the support every day. They’re asking about her, asking about her well-being, my well-being, and that’s all they really cared about. They didn’t care about baseball.”
The Braves’ Dominic Smith became the first player in MLB history to hit a walk-off grand slam in his debut with a new team. Mady Mertens-Imagn ImagesSmith was able to show his thanks in the ninth inning off Royals closer Carlos Estevez, who led MLB in saves last season with 42. The Braves erased a 2-0 deficit on RBI singles by Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Harris II and had the bases loaded with one out.
On a 3-2 pitch, after calling timeout to gather himself, Smith lifted a fly ball into the right field seats that sent the sold-out crowd into a frenzy.
Smith said he “got choked up a bunch of times” thinking about his mom amid the celebration. He said he is looking forward to the Braves’ road trip next week to Anaheim, California, where he will be able to see family and say his “goodbyes.”
“You know, I’m trying to hold back tears now,” he said. “I feel her every day. I miss her dearly. It’s not a moment I don’t think about her. And like I said, I’m just so thankful because this team knows what I’m going through. So they really, you know, picked me up the last few weeks.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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