The Los Angeles Dodgers secured a 4-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, thanks to a dramatic pinch-hit home run by Will Smith in the bottom of the ninth inning. The walk-off blast capped a tense game that saw late lead changes and added fuel to a heated division rivalry.
Smith entered the game as a pinch hitter and delivered the deciding moment when he connected on a 90 mph changeup from Padres closer Robert Suarez. The solo shot to left marked the Dodgers’ 25th comeback win of the season and handed Suarez his third loss, dropping him to 1-3.
The Padres had tied the game earlier in the top half of the inning. Facing Dodgers reliever Justin Wrobleski, Jake Cronenworth brought in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Xander Bogaerts followed with an RBI double to center field to level the score at three. Wrobleski was credited with the win, improving to 2-2 on the season.
The contest unfolded under added scrutiny following the tension of the previous two games in the series. Four players had been hit by pitches earlier in the series, leading to the ejection of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on Tuesday. In the seventh inning Wednesday, Dodgers rookie Andy Pages was struck in the left shoulder by a 91 mph cutter from Padres reliever Stephen Kolek. Pages had also been hit on Monday. After the pitch, Kolek and Pages exchanged respectful nods before Kolek exited one out later.
Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan made his first major league appearance in over 18 months, returning to the mound after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2024. He pitched four innings and allowed one run, setting the stage for the bullpen to carry the game into the late innings.
Los Angeles generated its early offense through contributions from the lower half of the batting order. Rookie Dalton Rushing delivered a key two-run single in the fifth inning, giving the Dodgers their first lead. The team’s star-studded top four of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernández combined to go 1-for-16 on the night. Ohtani, in particular, struggled at the plate, striking out with the bases loaded in the seventh and extending his hitless stretch to 0-for-8 since making his Dodgers pitching debut earlier in the week.
The Padres had a chance to turn a double play in the ninth after Manny Machado grounded to third, but a misplay on the relay allowed the inning to continue with two runners on. The error proved costly when Smith delivered the game-winning home run.
The Dodgers, who remain in first place in the National League West, improved to 5-1 against San Diego this season and extended their winning streak to five games.
The series concludes Thursday with Padres right-hander Ryan Bergert (1-0, 2.33 ERA) scheduled to face Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-5, 2.64 ERA). According to current betting odds, the Dodgers are favored at -170, while the Padres are listed as +145 underdogs. The over/under for total runs is set at 8.5.
