by Megan Garcia
The Dodgers were teetering on going into extra innings, even with two brilliant pitching performances. But it was the backstop who wasn’t in the starting lineup who pulled a win out with one swing.
Will Smith, pinch-hitting in the bottom of the ninth, sent the Dodgers into the win column with his fourth career walk-off homer.
The Dodgers beat the Padres 4–3 on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium and have now won five out of six games against the Padres this season.
“We just keep fighting, putting up great at-bats, try to put some pressure on,” Smith said. “When they mess up, we try to capitalize.”
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Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski tag-teamed for all nine innings for the Dodgers in Sheehan’s return to the mound after missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery.
Wrobleski took over in the fifth with the Dodgers trailing 1–0. He retired the first 11 batters he faced out of the bullpen, a continuation from Sheehan retiring the last seven batters he faced. The young pair of arms held the Padres hitless for five innings.
The hope was for Sheehan and Wrobleski to take the bulk of the innings on Wednesday to help a bullpen that pitched 17 innings in the first two games of the series against the Padres.
“(Wrobleski) wanted (the ninth inning). He earned it — and given where our bullpen is at, I have to certainly be mindful of that,” said manager Dave Roberts. “I just felt that he had a lot more pitches in there. The stuff was good and (he was) getting soft contact. I just felt that he was the right choice right there.”
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The Padres tied the game 3–3 with two runs against Wrobleski in the top of the ninth — one of them was unearned due to throwing error. Wrobleski finished his night with five innings pitched, four hits, two runs (one earned) and three strikeouts.
“I was fired up,” Wrobleski said of going back for the ninth. “Obviously, it sucks to give up the two runs and not win the game right there, but it was (a great win).”
Sheehan was limited between 65 to 70 pitches in his first start since Sept. 27, 2023. He met his limit after he struck out the side in the fourth on 15 pitches. He retired the last seven batters he faced in consecutive order — five via a strikeout.
Sheehan allowed one run over four innings — a second-inning RBI single by Elias Diaz.
“It was awesome,” Sheehan said of his return. “Once I was out there, I just back in compete mode once the hitter was in the box. But definitely before and after, (I felt) the emotions of just the past year.”
Young pitchers carry Dodgers through nine; Smith walks it off in the ninth was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.