Dodgers Interview: Nearing 100%, Smith Looks Forward to NLCS
PHILADELPHIA — The Dodgers’ catcher met reporters in Philadelphia and sounded like a player itching to get back on the field. Will Smith’s hand has been the story for weeks. He was active for the Wild Card round but never appeared. Now the NLDS opens on Saturday, and he expects to have a role.
“It’s feeling good,” Smith said. “It’s really close to 100%. I’m looking forward to being out there, playing, helping the team win.”
Asked if he would start the opener, Smith kept it straight. “I don’t think so,” he said. “But I’ll definitely be able to come off the bench and be in there.”
He explained the final steps of the ramp-up. “It’s definitely still rehabbing the hand,” he said. “But it’s also making sure the shoulder’s not getting banged up, the hips, the legs, all that. Just getting my feet back under me. We’re trying to be smart about it. It’s a long month, but there’s urgency to win now. We’re weighing both and going from there.”
Could he handle late innings behind the plate? Smith did not hesitate. “Yeah,” he said. “Absolutely. I feel like I could go nine innings right now and be good.”
The bat has been a bright spot when he’s been on the field, and he tied that to work more than rest. “I got in a really good spot with the hitting coaches with my swing,” Smith said. “I made some adjustments from last year and was able to be really consistent with the swing. I think that shows why, as opposed to being rested more or anything like that.”
The postseason setting feels familiar to him, and he made sure to note why. “Fortunately, I’m with the Los Angeles Dodgers,” he said. “That’s why I wanted to be here my whole career, the chance to play in the postseason every year. No team’s committed more to winning a World Series each and every year than the Dodgers, and that’s what I want to be a part of. I love the challenge each year and the goal. What we try to do every year is win a World Series. That’s who I am. That’s what I want to be a part of.”
Experience matters in October, and Smith has plenty. “I’ve had a lot of experience,” he said. “Winning a World Series and losing a few. It’s learning from the mistakes when we lost and trying to apply what we did well, what we did well in 2020, and bring it to this year.”
Catching remains his comfort zone, and he did not lobby for extra DH days. “I don’t know,” Smith said with a grin when asked if he wanted more at-bats there. “We’ve got a pretty good DH, so I think we’re pretty set on that.”
He also detailed what live at-bats and workouts have told him this week. “It’s feeling good,” he said. “We faced some live pitching. The hand responded. The strength is coming back in the swing and the throwing. It’s close.”
Smith circled back to why the staff is pacing things. “We’re trying to be smart,” he said. “It’s a long month, but there’s urgency now. We’re weighing both.”
Availability is the headline for Saturday, and he put that in simple terms. “I’ll be ready to come off the bench,” Smith said. “If they need me to catch the last two or three, I can do that. If they needed nine, I feel like I could do that too.”
He knows the volume of games this season ended up lower, but the standard did not change. “The game volume was down just because I missed all of September,” he said. “But I felt like I was in a good spot all year with the swing. That consistency was the key.”
One more time, he brought it back to the team’s aim. “I wanted to be here because of this,” Smith said. “The chance to compete for a World Series every year. That’s the goal, and I’m ready to help us do it.”
For Game 1, that likely means late-inning defense, a right-handed bat in a big spot, and a steady voice for the pitching staff if called. Smith sounded ready for any of it. “It’s really close to 100%,” he said. “I’ll be ready.”
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