Padres letting Dodgers villain set franchise record is infuriating

As if the Dodgers owning the Padres these last two weeks hasn't been enough to swallow, one of their core players etched himself into the record books on Wednesday night against San Diego. Will Smith, a career Dodger, did not start the game, but he ended the contest with emphasis.

With one out and nobody on base, Smith came in to pinch-hit against Padres closer Robert Suarez. Smith entered the at-bat batting 5-for-8 in the first two games of the series with a home run already, but his walk-off solo jack to cement the series win was a major gut punch. And not only was it a Dodger win, but Smith broke the record for most pinch-hit home runs in Los Angeles history in the regular season.

To do it against the Padres just makes things so much worse. The Friars are already looked down upon by the Dodgers, and this historic home run only ignites LA's perspective on their division rival. Smith now has a career .921 OPS against San Diego behind 15 home runs and 17 doubles across 78 games.

This series against the Dodgers is already a lost cause. They nabbed two out of three last week against the Padres at Petco Park, and now lead 3-0 at home with one more game on tap. It felt like a series with everyone on the Dodgers' side, but who could blame them. They have played like the better team, the more clutch team, and the more polished team. The only thing the Padres have done is yell at the umpire or the opposition.

The Padres will look to avoid the sweep on Thursday, but the Dodgers have already made their statement. They sit six games ahead of the Padres, and will be coming off of one of their memorable home runs of the 2025 season.