Atlanta Braves star Dominic Smith made MLB history with a walk-off grand slam in his debut – less than two weeks after the tragic death of his mother.
Smith struggled to contain his emotions after becoming the hero as the Braves came from 2-0 down in the ninth inning to secure a 6-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.
After the game, he revealed that his mother Yvette LaFleur died on March 15 following a battle with cancer. She had been diagnosed back in September and almost died at the start of camp.
Smith said he left the team for a little over a week when she had a ‘scare’ but returned because he was fighting for his job. The 30-year-old was not with her in California when she passed away.
On Saturday night, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Smith became the first player in MLB history to hit a walk-off grand slam in his debut with a new team.
And the designated hitter said he felt his mom’s presence after scoring the game-winning grand slam.
Atlanta Braves star Dominic Smith made MLB history with a walk-off grand slam in his debut
His heroics against the Royals came less than two weeks after the tragic death of his mother
‘I got choked up a bunch of times… I feel her every day, I miss her dearly,’ Smith said
‘I definitely did,’ Smith said. ‘I got choked up a bunch of times and I’m trying to hold back tears right now. It’s just so special. I feel her every day. I miss her dearly. There’s not a moment where I don’t think about her.’
The 30-year-old, who was one of the last players to make the Braves’ opening day roster, added: ‘It’s just amazing…’
‘I’ve 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.’
Smith revealed after the game that the Braves had been very supportive during spring training when his mother was ill.
‘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.’
He is now looking forward to a road trip to Anaheim next week where he will be able to see family and ‘say his goodbyes.’
‘I’m just so thankful because this team knows what I´m going through,’ he added. ‘They really picked me up the last few weeks.’
