Dominic Smith Speaks on 'Special' Walk-Off Grand Slam After Mother's Death
Atlanta Braves' Dominic Smith walked off Saturday's game with a heavy heart.
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.