As Will Smith and Team USA gear up for their quarterfinal clash against Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, Canadian fans might be eyeing a bit of payback against the Los Angeles Dodgers' catcher.
While Smith is backing up Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh on Team USA, he's widely regarded as one of the top catchers in the National League. His All-Star status was cemented into baseball lore when he launched a homer in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays last November, securing the Dodgers' consecutive titles.
That memorable shot off Shane Bieber, acquired by the Blue Jays at the trade deadline, is an image etched into the minds of Blue Jays fans everywhere. It’s easy to picture them turning away if a replay of that moment suddenly appears on TV.
Interestingly, no one has avoided rewatching that moment more than Smith himself.
“I honestly haven’t rewatched it,” Smith shared with the California Post.
According to the Post, Smith humorously feared that revisiting the game might somehow alter its outcome.
Game 7 was packed with moments that haunt the Blue Jays and their supporters. Miguel Rojas' game-tying homer off closer Jeff Hoffman, Isiah Kiner-Falefa being forced out at home with the winning run, and Andy Pages colliding with Kiké Hernández on the warning track to catch what could have been Ernie Clement's walk-off hit.
Baseball history doesn’t often become instant legend, but that Game 7 certainly did. Now, Blue Jays fans must grapple with the fact that the Dodgers' catcher remains so astonished by the victory that he won’t even relive it on video.