WATCH: Josh Smith hits inside-the-park home run for first in MLB career
Dating back to his days at LSU, infielder Josh Smith has been a highly thought of prospect. He’s finally getting his shot in the majors, with the Texas Rangers calling him up in late May. Fast forward to Monday night and Smith can finally celebrate his first career home run — even if it’s in an unconventional way.
Texas was hosting Oakland on Monday for an AL West showdown, already up 6-2. Leody Taveras was in scoring position via second base when Smith came up to bat in the sixth inning. Hitting a 1-1 pitch out into center field, Oakland’s Ramón Laureano attempted to make a dive on the ball but came up short.
The ball rolled all the way to the warning track as Smith turned on the jets. Third base coach Tony Beasley casually waved Smith around third base before he slid head first into home plate, hitting an inside-the-park home run for the first of his career.
You can watch the full play here.
“No, I honestly never expected that to happen,” Smith later said on his home run while smiling. “I think that’s my first one ever, inside-the-park. But it almost doesn’t even feel like a homer. So, we’ll try to get one out of here soon, we’ll see.”
According to the Texas Rangers PR Twitter account, Smith is the third player in franchise history to see an inside the park be their first career home run. Major League players never forget the first of their careers but adding a wrinkle such as this one makes the moment even sweeter for Smith.
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Smith became a member of the Rangers’ organization last summer, being a piece in a trade that saw Joey Gallo join the New York Yankees. He spent the rest of the 2021 season in A+ Hickory and AA with the Frisco Rough Riders before beginning this year with AAA Round Rock.
With a role at third base coming open, Smith has seized the opportunity and become a staple in the lineup. He has been able to get on base at a .387 clip, including a franchise-tying 11 on-base streak to begin his career.
The power has not been there for Smith until Monday night, slugging .271 with only two extra-base hits. While he might now have seen one fully leave the park, getting the first home run out of the way might clear Smith’s mind going forward.