Smith's walk-off slam delivered with heavy heart from mother's death

ATLANTA -- Dominic Smith felt his mother’s presence as his walk-off grand slam sailed into the right-field seats to give the Braves a thrilling 6-2 win over the Royals on Saturday night at Truist Park.

“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.”

This was the first game Smith has ever played for the Braves and the first regular-season game he has played without his mother on this earth. Yvette LaFleur died on March 15 after battling cancer. Her passing hadn’t been publicly revealed until Atlanta’s new designated hitter spoke to the media about his magical home run.

“I left camp for like a week and a half because she had a scare,” Smith said. “This team is just so awesome. I’m so blessed because of the love they showed me.”

Smith was showered with love when he crossed the plate after capping a five-run ninth inning with his game-ending homer off Royals closer Carlos Estévez. The former Mets first baseman became the first player to hit a walk-off grand slam in his team debut, per the Elias Sports Bureau.

His emotional blast concluded a wacky ninth-inning rally that began with a Drake Baldwin walk. Mike Yastrzemski, who finished the 2025 season with Kansas City, tallied an RBI single and Michael Harris II drove in a run with a single that hit Estévez’s foot and ended up in foul territory along the third-base line.

It was like somebody was looking on from above and setting the moment for Smith.

“There’s a lot of emotion attached to that home run for him,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.

Home-plate umpire Mike Muchlinski called Estévez’s 2-1 pitch a ball, but the Royals’ successful ABS challenge moved the count to 2-2. After a timeout, Smith looked at a pitch in the dirt and then drilled an elevated, full-count fastball over the right-field wall.

“I’ve played against the Braves for a long time,” Smith said. “Being on the other side of a lot of these kinds of endings kind of hurt. So, to be on the right side of it this time was so fun.”

How Smith got to this moment creates further reason to wonder if there was some spiritual influence.

When the Braves first called Smith on Feb. 10, there didn’t seem to be a fit. Many players had already arrived at Spring Training and there was no indication that projected designated hitter Jurickson Profar was going to again test positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug and be suspended 162 games.

Still, Smith chose to sign a Minor League deal with the Braves on Feb. 17. Not long after, he left Spring Training for more than a week to be with his mother in California. He returned to Braves camp, resumed his fight for a roster spot and then got the phone call he dreaded during the early morning hours of March 15.

“I’m her son,” Smith said. “I know she’s a fighter. She fought it as long as she could and for as long as she could.”

Smith went hitless in four at-bats while the Braves played the Phillies in Clearwater that day. Then, with his mother at the forefront of his mind, he continued to focus on the opportunity he had gained when Profar was suspended.

His willingness to remain in camp and continue fighting for the job his mother wanted him to have resulted in a spot on the Opening Day roster. Now, two days into the season, the former Met and National is already a hero among those Braves fans who used to jeer him from afar.

Nothing about signing with the Braves made sense, especially before Profar was suspended and the DH at-bats became available. Still, everything about this communion has proven to be delightful, including a grand slam that Smith and countless Atlanta fans will forever remember.

“They preach a family environment here,” Smith said. “That’s what I feel from the group and the coaching staff. I’m just so thankful for the opportunity to suit up for the Braves.”