LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Just 10 days ago, Will Smith caught 18 innings in a World Series game.
On Wednesday, he was catching orders at a Raising Cane’s drive-thru in Hollywood.
Turns out, there’s not much this Louisville native and Dodgers catcher can’t handle, whether it’s knuckle curves, champagne celebrations, or the Caniac combo with extra fries.
Frankly, I wouldn’t take note of a promotional appearance by an out-of-town ballplayer, but given the week we’re having in Louisville, it’s kind of nice to see a hometown hero deliver for a good cause, and confirm his all-around good guy status.
Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford
Less than a week removed from hitting the Game 7 home run that gave the Dodgers back-to-back World Series titles, the Kentucky Country Day and University of Louisville product showed up at the Raising Cane’s on Sunset Boulevard wearing a headset, manning the drive-thru, and handing out chicken fingers with a smile.
He took selfies, signed boxes and served fans inside and out, all while Raising Cane’s CEO Todd Graves stood nearby with a $100,000 donation to Smith’s Catching Hope Foundation.
The event was supposed to be a $50,000 check. But Graves doubled it. Because, really, how many times does your neighborhood chicken joint get to celebrate a three-time World Series champion who just hit the most clutch home run of his life?
For Smith, it was never just about chicken. It was about giving back and showing up.
He and his wife, Cara, started Catching Hope in 2021 to support underserved youth in both L.A. and Louisville. Wednesday’s event raised money for that cause. But it also did something more: It reminded everyone why Will Smith is so beloved. Not just because of the bat. Or the glove. But because of the person.
“I’m still tired,” he admitted Wednesday, chuckling between orders. “But you just keep fighting. It’s the World Series. You get to rest after.”
Smith’s knees may never forgive him for those 74 World Series innings, the most ever caught in a single Fall Classic. But fans were too busy cheering to notice. One held up a chicken (a real one, named 46 Sanders).
“It’s been incredible. We’ve really felt the love from the L.A. community,” he said.
But Louisville knows this side of Will Smith, too. Always steady. Always grounded. Always willing to show up, whether it’s behind home plate, or behind a counter turning a fast-food shift turned into a memory or a drive-thru window into a victory parade, with a side of Cane’s Sauce.
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