"In competition, the best and worst comes out of us" - Dodgers catcher Will Smith apologizes to Padres' Jurickson Profar for calling him 'irrelevant'

LA Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not known for getting into arguments or attracting unnecessary drama until April 2024. Smith and San Diego Padres slugger Jurickson Profar got into a misunderstanding during a game when the catcher made a comment pointing at Profar.

It all started over a pitch delivered by Gavin Stone that almost got Profar. Things heated up as Profar and Smith started exchanging words at home plate. In no time, the benches were cleared, but thankfully, it never escalated into something huge.

Following that game, Smith said in an interview with reporter David Vassegh that Stone shouldn't have thrown at Profar, calling him "irrelevant."

"I don’t know why we would have thrown at him. He’s kind of irrelevant,” Will Smith said.

The NL West rivals continued their series after the incident, and Profar contributed a game-deciding, base-clearing double. The Padres took this to a new level as they printed jerseys with a cartoon of Profar celebrating his base hit and the word "relevant" below.

Fast forward three months and both players are on the same team for the MLB All-Star Game. Profar has kept it low despite Smith's comment, saying that he was not the enemy.

"He’s another baseball player. He’s not the enemy. I have seen enemies in front of me before. Really, really enemies in Curacao," Profar said.

Before Tuesday's All-Star Game, Smith commented on the issue that happened in April, saying it was due to the situation and nothing personal against Profar.

“That had nothing to do with it,” Smith said of Profar’s accomplishments as a player. “It was the situation only. My bad. It was nothing personal. … He’s fiery, plays hard. He’s a competitor. In competition, the best and worst come out of us. He’s a competitor and a good player.”

Will Smith among four Dodgers stars to play 2024 MLB All-Star Game

Will Smith has put everything behind him, and both he and Jurickson Profar will represent the National League team. Smith is one of the four Dodgers players to feature in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game.

Six of the Dodgers stars were selected for the All-Star Game, including Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman. However, Betts and Glasnow will not play due to injuries.