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Dominic Smith was playing with a heavy heart when he made his Atlanta Braves debut on Saturday night – his sixth team in four years.
Smith’s mother, Yvette LaFleuer, died of cancer earlier this month. When Smith stepped up to the plate against the Kansas City Royals in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded, he said he could feel her presence with him.
The slugger hit a walk-off grand slam to win the game for the Braves, 6-2.
“It’s just amazing,” he told reporters. “Played against the Braves for a long time, and being on the other side a lot of these endings kind of hurt, so to be on the right side of it this time was so fun.”
Smith said that his teammates had been very supporting of him during spring training when his mother was ill. She was diagnosed with cancer in September and nearly died at the start of camp.
He left the team to be with her for over a week when she had a “scare” and when he returned, he was fighting for a roster spot.
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“This team is just so awesome,” Smith said. “I’m so blessed because of the love they showed me, the support every day. They’re asking about her, asking about her well-being, my well-being, and that’s all they really cared about. They didn’t care about baseball.”
Smith’s walk-off grand slam made him the first player in MLB history to achieve the moment in his debut with a new team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Smith has been trying to find a permanent home after spending his first six years with the New York Mets. He played for the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants since leaving New York.
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Last year, Smith had five home runs and 33 RBI in 63 games with the Giants.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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