Dominic Smith Honors Late Mother With Emotional Home Run, Fights Back Tears
Dominic Smith crushed a walk-off grand slam to topple the Royals and ignite Atlanta — but the blast meant more than a mark in the standings. After Sunday, March 29’s win, the designated hitter revealed the deeper story behind the moment.
Sometimes real life hands you a finale you wouldn’t dare pitch in a writers room. On Sunday, March 29, Braves DH Dominic Smith crushed a walk-off grand slam against the Royals — and then explained why the whole thing hit a lot harder than a dramatic win usually does.
The moment, and the weight behind it
Less than two weeks ago, Smith lost his mother to cancer. After sending Atlanta home happy with a towering shot that capped a six-run ninth, he talked through the emotion of it all and how much his teammates have had his back while he’s been navigating grief and baseball at the same time.
'I’m trying to hold back tears right now. I feel her every day. I miss her dearly.'
Smith said he kept getting choked up during the game and the celebration afterward — the kind of adrenaline-soaked blur where timelines get fuzzy and feelings don’t.
How we got here
- His mom was diagnosed with cancer in September.
- There was a scare at the start of Spring Training in February, and Smith stepped away from camp for about a week and a half.
- He bounced back and forth as he could, trying to win a job while being present for his family.
- The Braves made him one of their final Opening Day adds.
- Through all of it, he says the clubhouse focus was on him and his mom’s well-being — not his stat line.
History made, for the record keepers
Beyond the personal story, that swing also landed Smith in the MLB record book: per Elias Sports Bureau, he’s the first player in league history to hit a walk-off grand slam in his debut game with a new team. Not a bad way to introduce yourself.
Smith on switching sides
Smith has been around since 2017, when he first came up with the Mets, and he’s bounced to the Nationals, Red Sox, Reds, Giants, and now the Braves. He joked that being on Atlanta’s side of a wild finish finally felt good after being burned by them plenty over the years. Put another way: this time, he got to enjoy the chaos.
Short version: it was a huge baseball moment, but it was also a very human one. And the Braves didn’t just get a walk-off; they rallied around a teammate who needed it, then helped him write a chapter he’ll remember forever.