Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith wasn’t the star of the 2024 World Series, but he was the most recognizable name among baseball’s champions.
That’s because a player named Will Smith has won it five years in a row.
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This unusual winning streak began in 2020, when the Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win the title at the end of the coronavirus-shortened season. Smith was in his second year as the Dodgers’ starting catcher.
The following year, Los Angeles did not advance to the World Series, but the Atlanta Braves did. Their bullpen was anchored by, you guessed it, a left-handed closer named Will Smith.
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Smith, a pitcher, is six years older than Smith, a catcher, and made his debut with the Kansas City Royals in 2012. Although it wasn’t a save situation, Smith was on the mound when Yuli Gurriel grounded out to end the 2021 World Series and the season. It was his first career championship.
Ironically, Smith will be traded to Houston midway through the 2022 season in a deadline trade for pitcher Jake Odorizzi. As fate would have it, the Astros won the World Series that October.
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In March 2023, Smith signed a free agent contract with the Texas Rangers. He appeared in 60 games in the regular season and five more in the postseason, helping Texas win its first championship in franchise history.
Smith signed with the Royals in December 2023, and expectations were high in Kansas City that Smith could extend his winning streak. Instead, it was another Will Smith who remained at the end of the 2024 season.
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On Wednesday, Smith caught Walker Buehler’s final pitch in the Dodgers’ 7-6 win over the New York Yankees, clinching Game 5 of the World Series with his second career ring.
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Smith went 0-for-4 in the game, but he walked one ball and scored one run as the Dodgers scored five runs in the fifth inning and overwhelmed the Yankees, who were leading 5-0 at the time.
Smith went 8-for-56 (.143 batting average) with three home runs, eight RBIs, eight walks, and nine strikeouts in 16 postseason games. He caught all but two innings against the Dodgers in October.
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