Dodgers' Will Smith Sets Unbreakable World Series Record in Game 7

Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) celebrates after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eleventh inning during game seven of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre on Saturday. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Even if he had not hit the home run in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the World Series that forever became a part of Dodgers history, Will Smith had already set a baseball record Saturday that's unlikely to be broken.

The 30-year-old catcher backstopped every inning of all seven games of the World Series. That included a marathon 18-inning Game 3 on Monday in Los Angeles, and all 11 innings Saturday.

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Smith caught 73 innings in total, breaking Lou Criger's record of 71 innings caught in the eight-game 1903 World Series. Muddy Ruel set the record of 67 innings caught in a seven-game series in 1924.

Will Smith caught 73 innings this World Series

That’s the most caught in a WS, surpassing:

71, Lou Criger 1903 (8 games)

Prior most in 7g WS: ⁰67, Muddy Ruel 1924

h/t @EliasSports

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) November 2, 2025

Smith was one of many heroes in the Dodgers' 5-4 series-clinching victory in Game 7 on Saturday. None of them spent more time in a crouch over the past week than Smith.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was concerned enough about the toll of putting Smith through all 18 innings of Game 3 that he texted his catcher prior to Game 4.

"I texted him (Tuesday) morning and said, How do you feel? He said he felt great, which I would expect that," Roberts said of Smith. "I was trying to hold as long as I could because I felt -- again, certainly when we got to the end over there with their 'pen, there were just left-handed pitchers, and they were going to run (Eric) Lauer, so to have him in there, potentially, we still needed to find a way to score.

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"But if there was a situation where I needed to run for him, I had a couple guys ready, and Ben (Rortvedt, the backup catcher) was ready, but I was trying to hold on (Smith) as long as I could."

Roberts held on, and on, and on. He even promoted Smith to the number-2 spot in the batting order for Game 6, replacing Mookie Betts, and kept him there for Game 7.

Will Smith hit the go-ahead home run that gave the #Dodgers the lead in extra innings of Game 7#Postseason
📻 #WorldSeries Postgame Show with @DaniWex @JimDuquetteGM and @KevinFrandsen
🔗 https://t.co/fGPbvbj8w4 pic.twitter.com/B6A8siBvWi

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) November 2, 2025

Despite the heavy workload, Smith hardly looked any worse for the wear as the series dragged on. He finished 2 for 6 in the clinching Game 7, hitting a double in the second inning against Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer in addition to his home run in the 11th inning against Shane Bieber.

Smith had an RBI double, drew a walk, and scored a run in the Dodgers' Game 6 win. More importantly, he helped the Dodgers' pitchers navigate a deep Blue Jays lineup that came within two outs of winning the championship before Miguel Rojas' home run in the ninth inning of Game 7 tied the score 4-4.

While the Dodgers were the last team standing in 2025, Smith was the longest man crouching in World Series history.

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