Dodgers: Will Smith Offers Fan Gift for Destroyed Stadium Cutout
One of the few highlights in the Dodgers’ 5-4 loss to the Giants on Saturday was a leadoff solo home run by catcher Will Smith in the 9th inning. While the club’s late rally fell short, that dinger also gave us a first for Dodger Stadium.
Here in the weird season restricted by COVID, the ballpark features more than 5,000 fan cutouts around the field. With that 9th inning blast, Smith became the first Dodger to break one.
Hey @Dodgers @will_smith30 do I get to keep the ball pic.twitter.com/wMeZrU2EYD
— Austin Donley (@adonley3) July 25, 2020
The partial decapitation was caught in super slow-mo by Fox broadcast and was discussed by the broadcast team of Joe Davis and AJ Pierzynski. The camera panned back to the cutout several time giving the proud owner of the likeness on the board ample opportunity to soak in the 15 minutes of fame.
Moreover, it gave the fan the opportunity to send a reasonable follow up question to the Dodgers and the man that hit the ball.
Do I get to keep the ball?
While the Oakland A’s offer that fan service, LA isn’t planning as much. At least not at this time. Instead, Smith decided to take it into his own hands.
Sorry I took your head off ??? shoot me a dm and I’ll hook it up for you
— Will Smith (@will_smith30) July 26, 2020
Smith talked about it with the media on Sunday.
I thought it was awesome. Didn’t really realized it happened until I got home. … I’ll hook him up with a ball or something and probably apologize again for hitting his head off.
Yes, Will is planning on following through for the young man. And honestly, it seems only fair. It would be a funny but tough pill for the fan Austin to swallow if his $300 purchase was damaged only 3 games into the season.
So now not only is he enjoying the notoriety (and being the answer to an odd trivia question), he also scores a care package from the second year LA catcher.
As a final note, cutout opportunities are still available on the Dodgers website.
More Info on Cardboard Cutouts
