Yoshinobu Yamamoto is having a postseason to remember. After tossing a nine-inning gem in the NLCS earlier this month, Yamamoto followed it up on Saturday night with yet another complete-game effort, powering the Dodgers to a 5–1 victory over the Blue Jays in Game 2 of the World Series. That was his intention from the start. “He said before the series, losing is not an option & he had that look tonight,” Manager Dave Roberts revealed.

However, by the end of the night, Roberts made sure to give some due credit to the Dodgers’ $140 million star for the victory. In the postgame availability, Roberts said, “I thought Will Smith did a fantastic job.”

Apparently, as a catcher, Smith was also involved in game-planning with Yamamoto and working with him all night. So, Roberts added, “I think the game calling and the relation with the pitchers has continued to get better. He’s always had the back to ball, the ability to hit to all fields, and the ability to hit verse left and verse right. He understands when to pick his spots. He does his homework.”

Smith came into the postseason battling a hand injury, and for a while, it seemed he might only be used as a pinch hitter. While Yamamoto rightly earned most of the spotlight for his performance, Smith, too, played a key role behind the plate. From calling pitches and guiding his pitcher through the game.

In fact, he went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs to power the Dodgers to a 5–1 win and knot the series at 1–1. Early in the game itself, Smith set the tone with a clutch two-out RBI single. When Kevin Gausman retired 17 straight batters, Smith snapped the streak with a solo shot in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie. In the eighth inning, he tacked on one more run with a groundout.

Most importantly, despite the relentless pressure to come out on top on Saturday, he managed to stay composed. “I think at the end of the day, he’s a guy that just doesn’t panic. He’s really got a flatline heartbeat, and in the postseason, that’s what you need,” Roberts added. Smith has truly made up for all the lost time!

Will Smith’s resurgence couldn’t have come at a better time for the Dodgers

Will Smith had to take the slow route to enter the postseason. After a hairline fracture in his right hand sidelined him for the last three weeks of the regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ All-Star catcher missed the entire wild-card round. He didn’t even get into the first two NLDS games until late.

But he’s been making up for lost time. Smith leads the Dodgers with a .314 postseason average among hitters with at least 10 at-bats. And his biggest swing yet came Saturday. It was a clutch solo shot during the seventh inning that broke a 1–1 tie.

“We’re 1-1 right now. So we’re heading back to L.A. trying to win three more,” Smith said after the game.

Well, it’s safe to believe that Smith’s time off due to injury, while definitely far from ideal, might actually be benefiting the Dodgers now. After catching 101 games this season, his body had taken a beating. This break certainly allowed him to recover. Even Dave Roberts agrees that the extra week between the NLCS and the World Series proved to be helpful.

“I’m just trying not to do too much. You can let the emotions get the best of you [and] try to hit a homer every time or be the hero every time. It doesn’t work out. So I’m just trying to put together an at-bat, get the right pitch.” Smith admitted.

Well, he certainly did that in the seventh inning on Saturday against the Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman. Postseason version of Smith definitely has a whole new fanbase from now onwards.