July 5, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) runs around the bases after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports Will Smith hit three home runs and Freddie Freeman had a two-run single in the eighth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for an 8-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.
Miguel Vargas hit a home run for the Dodgers, who won the opener of a three-game series after losing three of their previous four.
Smith’s first career three-homer game was the fourth by a Dodgers catcher and the first since Yasmani Grandal accomplished the feat in 2016.
Freeman’s game-tying hit against Brewers left-hander Hoby Milner came with two outs after Smith walked to load the bases against Elvis Peguero (5-3). Teoscar Hernandez followed with an RBI double for a three-run lead.
Rhys Hopkins hit a grand slam and Aaron Civale pitched five innings in his debut with his new club as the National League Central-leading Brewers fell to 2-3 after a seven-game road trip. Civale was acquired Wednesday in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Hopkins’ grand slam was Milwaukee’s sixth in its last 13 games and seventh of the season.
Smith hit his first home run of the game in the first inning and added another in the third as the Dodgers took a 2-0 lead.
The Brewers roared back in the fourth inning, getting an RBI single from Willy Adames before Hopkins crushed his grand slam to center field, his 12th home run of the season.
The Dodgers got back to within one run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Andy Pages singled leading off the inning and Vargas hit a one-out, two-run home run to left field, his second.
After hitting his first two home runs of the game against Civale, Smith hit his third in the seventh inning off left-hander Bryan Hudson to tie the game at 5-5. The hit, off the left-field foul pole, was Smith’s 14th of the season.
Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow allowed five runs on three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in six innings.
Daniel Hudson (6-1) pitched a scoreless inning to earn the win, and Evan Phillips struck out all three batters in the ninth for his 14th save.
–Field level media
