Game 5 of the 2020 NLCS delivered a bizarre and memorable moment: Will Smith vs. Will Smith. The Braves’ lefty closer, 31-year-old Will Smith from Georgia, faced the Dodgers’ 25-year-old catcher, also Will Smith, from Kentucky. Same name, different teams, big stakes. Atlanta led 2-1 in the game and in the series, just ten outs from the World Series. The matchup was tight, and the at-bat stretched to a full count after some close calls and tough takes. On the 3-2 pitch, Braves’ Will Smith threw a low fastball, and Dodgers’ Will Smith crushed it for a go-ahead three-run homer.
The Dodgers took a 4-2 lead on that swing. Mookie Betts fired up the dugout. Will Smith trotted around the bases and gave Max Muncie a celebratory shove before showing a quick moment of guilt in the dugout. Braves’ Will Smith went back to the gear, prepping for his next inning like nothing happened. But that homer flipped the series. The Dodgers took Game 5, then won the next two to eliminate Atlanta. They went on to win the World Series. That single at-bat, Will Smith vs. Will Smith, turned out to be a defining moment in the postseason.