The Los Angeles Dodgers home opener not only encompassed a World Series ring ceremony and chance to be back at Dodger Stadium, but also gave fans a first chance to hear potential new walk-up songs, which applied to Will Smith and Chris Taylor, among others.
Since Smith made his MLB debut in 2019, the speakers at Chavez Ravine have played the theme song from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Most assumed the catcher was embracing his Hollywood namesake, but it was later learned that Russell Martin was behind the ploy.
When Smith came to bat on Friday, Drake’s “Nice for What” played. “It was just time to get away from it,” he said of the change from the famed show. “It’s what I went with.”
Smith went hitless in three at-bats but did make contributions in the field by working well with Walker Buehler and throwing out two baserunners. Both throws came to Gavin Lux, who got a quick tag down at second base both times.
“We’ve played together a little bit now and just developed together,” Smith said of the connection he had with Lux. “He’s kind of on the page, he knows where he needs to be, he’s early to second base. Two good throws got them.”
Although Smith has separated himself a bit from the Hollywood actor, the two recently partnered to surprise fans with a virtual meet and greet. One month later, the young Dodgers catcher was part of another campaign as he ‘mistakingly’ received a delivery from Ryan Reynolds.
Not ‘Fresh Prince’
After a breakout performance during the 2019 season, Smith explained he didn’t prefer the “Fresh Prince” nickname to “Smitty.” He felt the “Fresh Prince” association that took hold was largely because of being in L.A. rather than serving as an actual nickname.
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