Less than two weeks after losing his mother to cancer, Atlanta Braves designated hitter Dominic Smith made MLB history Sunday, hitting a walk-off grand slam in his debut with the club to complete a six-run ninth-inning comeback in a 6-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no player had ever hit a walk-off grand slam in their first game with a new team.

Smith, one of the final players to earn a spot on Atlanta's Opening Day roster, connected off Royals closer Carlos Estevez on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded and one out, lifting a fly ball into the right-field seats to send the sold-out crowd into a frenzy. Estevez led MLB with 42 saves last season.

The Braves had trailed 2-0 entering the ninth before RBI singles from Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Harris II loaded the bases for Smith's decisive blow.

Smith's mother was diagnosed with cancer in September and nearly died earlier in spring training. He left the team briefly when she took a turn for the worse but returned to compete for a roster spot. He was not with her in California when she passed.

"This team is just so awesome," Smith said. "I'm so blessed because of the love they showed me, the support every day. They're asking about her, asking about her well-being, my well-being, and that's all they really cared about. They didn't care about baseball."

Smith said he grew emotional multiple times during the postgame celebration while thinking about his mother.

"I feel her every day. I miss her dearly. It's not a moment I don't think about her," he said. "I'm trying to hold back tears now. And like I said, I'm just so thankful because this team knows what I'm going through. So they really picked me up the last few weeks."

Smith added he looks forward to the Braves' upcoming road trip to Anaheim, where he will visit family and say his goodbyes.