Dominic Smith’s electric walk-off grand slam capped off an exciting win for the Atlanta Braves — but the moment means so much more than just another tally in the win column.
After Smith sent Braves fans home happy on Sunday, March 29, after a win against the Kansas City Royals, the designated hitter revealed that he lost his mother to cancer less than two weeks prior.
“I’m trying to hold back tears right now,” Smith told reporters after the game. “I feel her every day. I miss her dearly. There’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.”
Smith admitted to getting “choked up a bunch of times” while thinking about his mom during Saturday’s game-winning home run and subsequent celebrations. He said the team had been very supportive of him and his family during his mom’s illness.
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He shared that she was diagnosed with cancer in September, and had a “scare” at the start of Spring Training in February. Smith took a leave from the team for a week and a half during the preseason, returning to camp when he could to continue to try and earn a spot on the major league roster.
Smith was one of the last players to make the cut on Opening Day.
“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.”
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The home run also added Smith’s name to the MLB record book, as he became the first player in league history to hit a walk-off grand slam in his debut with a new team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
His towering home run capped off a six-run ninth inning for the Braves as they mounted the comeback.
“It’s just amazing,” said Smith. “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.”
The MLB veteran has been in the league since 2017, when he debuted for the New York Mets. He also played for the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and now the Braves.
