LOS ANGELES — It was only one at-bat, but it changed the direction of Reggie Smith's career.
Long before he was a World Series champion, a seven-time All-Star or 17-year major league outfielder, Smith was a young player growing up in South Los Angeles, trying to become a switch-hitter during his high school years.
One day early in the process, he came to the plate with men on base. Even though a right-handed pitcher stood atop the mound, Smith initially stayed on his familiar right-handed side of the plate, the place he felt most comfortable for a leverage at-bat.
