Kentuckian Will Smith hits World Series-winning HR in 11th inning for the Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series in the early hours of Sunday morning, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in a winner-take-all Game 7 in Toronto.

After trailing since the third inning, the defending champs received a lifeline when Miguel Rojas tied the game with a solo home run in the top of the ninth.

Then, in the top of the 11th, Will Smith proved to be the hero. His solo home run gave the Dodgers their first lead of the night, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who started Friday’s Game 6, slammed the door in the bottom half of the frame.

“I was fired up,” said Smith, a Louisville native who starred in high school at Kentucky Country Day and in college at U of L. “We know we needed to get a run there. To be able to come in clutch, that was huge. You dream of those moments — extra innings, put your team ahead. Yeah, I’ll remember that for forever.”

The victory, which ended Toronto’s first trip to the Fall Classic since 1993, sends the Commissioner’s Trophy back to California for the second straight year. The Dodgers are the 15th team to win back-to-back MLB titles, and the first since the New York Yankees’ three-peat in 1997, 1998 and 2000.

“It’s a special group of guys,” said Smith, who set a record for the most innings caught in World Series history with 73. “That was a fight for seven games. That’s a really good Toronto Blue Jays team. There is nothing better than this.”

This story was originally published November 2, 2025 at 12:48 AM.