It takes a special kind of toughness to be a Major League catcher. Aside from willingly jumping in front of triple-digit pitches with limited protective equipment, catchers know they can get hit with a bat on a backswing. It’s a risk of the position.
But one player, in particular, had Dodgers catcher Will Smith upset on Monday. During a fourth inning at-bat, Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna struck Smith on the side of the head with his backswing. As Ozuna was making his way down the first-base line to jog out the fly out, he stopped when Smith had words for him. Bullpens cleared, but the incident didn’t escalate.
Now, a player never intentionally hits a catcher with a backswing — that’s just simply not how it works. But Ozuna finishes his swing notably long, which often leads to the kind of contact that we saw on Monday. Smith basically had enough, so he reacted.
Tempers flare as Will Smith grows frustrated that he keeps getting hit by Marcell Ozuna’s backswing pic.twitter.com/c1biUfEMtz
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 23, 2023
This wasn’t an isolated incident with Ozuna. Last season, Ozuna hit Smith across the face with a backswing on a grounder.
Marcell Ozuna got Will Smith with a backswing last year, too pic.twitter.com/8hk48dliYV
— Daniel Brim (@DanielBrim) May 23, 2023
MLB Network also put together a montage of Ozuna’s backswing making contact with catchers. It happens that often with him.
Let's talk about the Marcell Ozuna-Will Smith situation…🤔#MLBNow | @JonHeyman | @RAJr_20 pic.twitter.com/nWq3OTlxn7
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) May 23, 2023
Smith had also just returned from the concussion IL, so he was especially upset to have a bat hit him on the head so soon after an earlier head injury. Yet, his beef was also specific to Ozuna. He mentioned after the game that it was a common occurrence for Ozuna, and that he couldn’t believe that something hadn’t been done to fix the backswing.
Will Smith explained some of his frustration about Marcell Ozuna catching him on his backswing, saying, "there comes a point where I need to say something there."
Said Ozuna didn't apologize, but didn't want to get into all that was said between them. pic.twitter.com/uGbisYtBln
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) May 23, 2023
That’s easier said than done, though. Ozuna’s swing has always been like that, and he’s not the kind of player to revamp an entire swing to placate the concerns of opposing catchers. Ozuna said that he didn’t mean to hit Smith and suggested that the Dodgers catcher position himself further back next time.
Marcell Ozuna told me he didn’t intend to hit Will Smith with his backswing. Ozuna said he’s never trying to hurt anyone. Ozuna said Smith told him to “clean it up” and that it was the fifth time Ozuna had hit Smith like that.
Ozuna suggested Smith back up when he hits.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) May 23, 2023
Ozuna is in the lineup again for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. So, we’ll have to see how the Dodgers respond or if another backswing incident occurs.