LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Will Smith didn’t just launch a baseball into history Saturday night. He swung a piece of history.
With one memorable cut -- a solo home run in the top of the 11th inning of Game 7 — the Louisville native delivered a World Series championship for the Los Angeles Dodgers and delivered another historic moment for Louisville Slugger.
Smith used his D200 Powerized Birch signature model, made in downtown Louisville, to produce the first extra-inning home run in a Game 7 in World Series history. The blast off Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Dodgers a 5-4 win and their second straight world title.
Now, a game-used version of that same bat — complete with pine tar smudges, ball marks, and contact scars from the season — is on display at a familiar place: the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.
The bat, part of the museum’s permanent collection, is a twin to the one Smith swung to seal the 2025 World Series. It measures 34 inches, weighs 31.5 ounces, and features a natural wood handle with a black gloss barrel. It was made by hand in the historic Slugger factory, the same place where big-league lumber has been crafted for more than a century.
For Smith, the moment was personal and powerful.
Born and raised in Louisville, he played ball at St. Matthews Little League, starred at Kentucky Country Day, and launched his college career at the University of Louisville. Now, he’s a three-time World Series champion — in 2020, 2024 and 2025 — and a hero in two cities.
For Louisville Slugger, it’s another chapter in a historic legacy.
The bat company just completed its 141st season in professional baseball and even before Smith’s swing, boasted more iconic moments than all other bat manufacturers combined.
The Louisville Slugger Museum on Main Street in Louisville is open Monday–Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 10 to 4.
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Louisville's Will Smith hits game-winning homer to propel L.A. Dodgers to 2nd straight World Series
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