Will Smith delivered the Los Angeles Dodgers' first home run of the 2026 spring training, tying the game with a solo shot in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox. The Dodgers secured a 7-6 victory at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, remaining undefeated through five games. This ended a power drought that had persisted despite their strong start to the exhibition season.
The Dodgers entered Thursday's game at Camelback Ranch without a home run in their first four spring training contests, a streak reminiscent of their last regular-season dry spell of five games, which occurred over a decade ago. As back-to-back World Series champions, the team had gone undefeated but lacked power hitting until Smith's timely contribution.
Smith's solo home run in the fifth inning evened the score at that point in the 7-6 win over the White Sox. This blast followed his memorable 11th-inning homer off Shane Bieber in Game 7 of the previous World Series, which clinched the Dodgers' first consecutive titles in 25 years.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts commented on the fitting nature of Smith's achievement: "I guess he was the guy that went back to back as far as the last one of the season, first in the spring. … He's just playing good baseball, and he's another guy we're gonna miss once he joins Team USA."
The home run sparked further offense, as non-roster invitee Keston Hiura and Hyeseong Kim hit consecutive homers in the sixth inning, giving the Dodgers the lead they would not relinquish.
The team is managing absences due to the World Baseball Classic. Shohei Ohtani has already departed, with Kim set to leave Thursday night, Yoshinobu Yamamoto after his Friday start, and Smith along with Edwin Díaz following the weekend. Mookie Betts has yet to appear in Cactus League action as he builds up gradually.
Roberts emphasized the positives amid the exhibitions: "Guys are taking good at-bats. Swinging the bat well. … I've talked about the at-bat quality, I like what we're doing. Defensively, guys are showing out. The guys that are going to be with us to start, they all pitched well today, which is good to see. We're piecing it together."
