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“Slapped One Out of Here”: Will Smith Lights Up Oscars Night With a Rare Highlight During Team USA’s Crushing Loss

Published 03/13/2023, 3:15 PM EDT

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Who remembers Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars last year? Presumably every single person who hasn’t been living under a rock for the last 12 months. One of the biggest nights in Hollywood, the Oscars always guarantee a night of entertainment. Long drawn-out speeches, nomination snubs, wardrobe malfunctions, wrongly announced winners or aggressive displays of violence – the Academy Awards cover quite literally everything. And this year, the night was even uniquely connected to baseball.

Confusion over common names is nothing new and Will Smith isn’t just the name of The Fresh Prince actor. The Dodgers fans will know catcher Will Smith. In fact, even the Rangers fans will know pitcher Will Smith. But only one of these three played team Mexico on Oscars night as part of the World Baseball Classic.

Will Smith makes another ‘slap’ on Oscars night!

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March 12th, 2023 saw a lot of big moments – the iconic red carpet swapped out for beige, Everything Everywhere All at Once taking home seven Oscars, and Team USA’s brutal defeat to Mexico in the WBC. While Hollywood’s Will Smith was nowhere to be found at the Dolby Theater, his Dodgers namesake shone on the baseball field.

Ben Verlander from FOX Sports tweeted about the moment with a hilarious caption, “Will Smith on Oscars night!! How fitting He slapped one out of here.”

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‘Will Smith Will Not Need to Apologize for This Slap!’- LA Dodgers Star’s Monstrous Home Run Garners Hilarious Praise From the MLB World

The USA lost to Mexico despite their impressive roster that included Mike Trout and Mookie Betts. And even though they lost, Smith hit a home run in the bottom of the 7th inning that made him a star for a brief moment. He slapped the ball right out of the park and into the audience. And no, the slap wasn’t made with his hand, obviously.

The home run wasn’t the only big Smith moment

Few moments in pop culture have been or ever will be, as iconic as the slap. And while the Hollywood star missed the awards night this year, baseball’s Will Smith will not let anyone forget his name anytime soon. In addition to the home run that ultimately failed to lead to a team win, the Dodgers player had another instance that made headlines.

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Tampa Bays Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, who was playing for Mexico, looked like he offered a fist bump to Smith for a moment. But the Dodgers player didn’t bump him back, which actually enraged some fans. Some thought it showed a lack of sportsmanship on the catcher’s side.

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WATCH THIS STORY – Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars Draws Wild Reactions From Top Streamers

All in all, it was a truly exciting game!

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Written by:

Arunima Bhanot

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Arunima Bhanot is an MLB writer at EssentiallySports. Having earned an English literature degree from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, Arunima has always been interested in writing. She's a fan of archery and was the captain of her college team for two years running. She's an avid reader who also loves photography and travel, and you can find her talking constantly about books and anime on her Instagram!
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Edited by:

Abhishek Kumar