MLB WORLD SERIES: DODGERS VS BLUE JAYS

October 25, 2025

Will Smith

Rogers Centre

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 2 Press Conference

Q. I know we talked a lot about this bullpen throughout this season and we saw of course some of the struggles last night. As a leader on this team and now a veteran, obviously you're our number one catcher, what is it like just navigating and working through these guys when they are having some of their struggles and looking to bounce back like tonight?

WILL SMITH: Yeah, it's tough when it doesn't go your way. But it's just one pitch at a time, just focus on executing that pitch, keeping them calm in the moment, not letting the moment get too big, not letting the game speed up on 'em. So just keeping 'em focused on one pitch at a time.

Q. Yoshi is coming off of a special outing against the Brewers in which he threw that complete game. As he comes into this start today, what makes him to be that right guy? Because essentially every game going forward is a must win.

WILL SMITH: Yeah, no, he's been great, great all year. He's had the experience from last year. He is so focused right now, it's going to be a fun night for him. I have high expectations for him as always. But, yeah, no, he's just a competitor. He throws strike one. Gets ahead. He's got nasty stuff. Just really makes it tough on hitters.

Q. What are the challenges of calling a game when you're facing a lineup that strikes out as little as the Blue Jays really do?

WILL SMITH: Yeah, they're a bunch of good hitters. They fight in the box, they put together good at-bats, they move the ball. So it's just finding ways to get 'em out, keep 'em off balance. When they do hit the ball, finding pop-ups or ground balls right at guys. So it's a challenge. It's a good team. But I still trust our pitching more than their hitters, so hoping to even the series tonight.

Q. Offensively you guys faced some tough pitching, but what do you think has been missing to get you guys really clicking, going as a group?

WILL SMITH: We've been putting together good at-bats, it's just coming up with an a timely hit. Last night we had bases loaded early, up 2-0, not getting a big hit there. So we had plenty of opportunities, it's just coming together, someone stepping up to get the big hit to push three, four across per inning.

Q. You talked about the difference between year one and year two. You've been in on a bunch of these. So what is, how big a leap is that from appearing in your first World Series to coming back to the next one?

WILL SMITH: Yeah, it's the World Series. It's the best of the best, the two hottest teams at the time. It's fun. So it's pressure baseball. It's who is going to mess up, who is going to make the right pitch, who is going to move the ball when you need to. Basically who is going to out execute who. Last night they beat us at that, so try and do a better job than them tonight.

Q. I'm thinking for an individual player, the distractions, the whole atmosphere around this stage. I mean, what does a player have to kind of watch out for and guard against and embrace?

WILL SMITH: Yeah, you got to embrace the emotions. But you also got to tame 'em. You got to slow the game down. You got to not try to do too much. You got to slow your heart rate down. You got to just focus on the task at hand. Basically just not try to do too much at times. Kind of let the game come to you, not try to force anything, and just kind of focus on what you're doing.

Q. When you're working with someone like Emmet Sheehan who is used to coming into clean innings, yesterday was in his first kind of dirty inning of the postseason, how do you try to guide him through that when it's something that's not used to doing?

WILL SMITH: Yeah, you just, again, just one pitch at a time. Just reminding him he's been there, done that. Maybe not coming right into that situation, but he's gotten out of bases-loaded jams before. So just instilling some confidence in him, instilling some trust. We were able to get ahead of guys, get 0-2 counts, just couldn't put 'em away. They put together some good at-bats, came up with the timely hit and a couple walks. So, yeah, that was tough, but I know he'll learn from that experience last night, and if he's thrown right back in there tonight or the next day he'll be ready.

Q. And you've obviously worked with him both as a starter and now in this kind of postseason relief role. Has there been any difference in how he's acclimated to this?

WILL SMITH: No, he's been good. He's been really good. He's given us really good innings late in games that we've needed. Yeah, he's been great all year long coming off the injury from last year and all that. He's one of our guys, he's one of the guys we're going to have to lean on if we're going to win this thing.