D-backs rookie Ryan Waldschmidt on the mindset of playing hero again with late walk-off home run

Trailing late against the Chicago Cubs, the Arizona Diamondbacks needed a spark down to their final out in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Enter Ryan Waldschmidt.

The rookie outfielder, called upon to pinch hit with a runner on and two outs, crushed a dramatic two-run walk-off home run to cap off a thrilling comeback at Chase Field.

With the blast, Waldschmidt made Major League Baseball history. He became the first rookie to hit two walk-off home runs while trailing in the same calendar month, according to OptaStats. Less than three weeks earlier on Aug. 7, Waldschmidt launched a similar game-winning two-run homer off Los Angeles Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz.

“Yeah, you know, it was awesome,” Waldschmidt said Wednesday morning on Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta. “I mean, anytime you can come up in that spot and win the game for the team is just a special moment, and I think obviously coming off the bench too for a pinch hit makes it even cooler. I know how tough it is to be a pinch hitter.

“So to be able to execute like that and in your one at-bat of the game is pretty awesome, and obviously seeing the guys how excited they were and all the fans are cheering. It was just really cool.”

For a 23-year-old rookie tossed into high-leverage situations against two of baseball’s powerhouse franchises, the Dodgers and the Cubs, Waldschmidt’s calm demeanor in the batter’s box has negated his experience level.

Part of his success comes down to a deliberate effort to keep things simple when the pressure ramps up.

“Yeah, you know, it’s huge,” Waldschmidt said of the confidence boost. “Everyone wants to get the opportunity to be the hero and have a chance to win it for their team, and I think just being able to go in with a pretty relaxed mentality about it, not trying to put too much pressure on myself to obviously come up in those big moments. I think that’s just how the game falls sometimes, and the game’s going to find you, especially as a young guy, and you’re going to get those opportunities.

“So for me, it’s just to kind of treat it like any other at-bat. If anything, try and do less because obviously you’re going to be amped up. Your adrenaline’s going to be through the roof. So I think your body’s going to be able to move in pretty good ways anyway.”

Waldschmidt credited his big-game composure to his collegiate experience at Kentucky, where he played under the bright lights of the Super Regionals and College World Series. Coming back from a torn ACL in 2023 also reshaped his perspective on the game.

“I think when I go up there and I’m looking up at the scoreboard and seeing it’s the bottom of the ninth inning, two outs, down by one, guy on base and get my name called to go pinch hit, I was grateful for the opportunity,” Waldschmidt said. “So, I’m walking up, smile on my face, like this is what everyone dreams to do, every kid, every time you’ve played baseball growing up, you make this scenario up in your head.

“So for me to go up there and be able to do this in real life and have that opportunity, it doesn’t even matter anymore if you get a hit or not. This is just one of the coolest opportunities that you could ever get.”

With fewer than 30 games remaining in the regular season and Arizona firmly in the thick of the National League postseason race, Waldschmidt’s emergence as a clutch performer provides vital momentum.

“To be able to come through in those moments are just huge, and obviously the confidence that it instills in not only yourself, but your teammates and everyone around you is just huge for the future,” Waldschmidt said.

“Coming into this back-half stretch of the year in these last 30 games and even into the playoffs, having that confidence in yourself, and obviously the coaches and my teammates having that confidence in me in those moments, is huge.”

Related

Wild Card standings: D-backs jockeying for position with Padres, MarlinsDiamondbacks' Ryan Waldschmidt hits walk-off home run in stunning comeback over CubsJustin Martinez is blowing on his hand againMoe Odum could return to ASU for 5th college season amid wild summer for NCAAASU opens investigation into hospitalized hockey player Matthew MayichCardinals’ Josh Sweat ‘right on schedule’ coming off PUP list activation