A player named Will Smith won a World Series ring for five straight seasons

Signing a player named Will Smith could be the best way for a team to win the World Series.

When the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees on Wednesday night, they became the fifth consecutive team to win the World Series with a player named Will Smith on their roster. This year’s Will Smith is the Dodgers’ starting catcher, a 29-year-old Kentucky native who was LA’s first-round draft pick in 2016. He made his MLB debut in 2019 and has been the Dodgers’ starting catcher since 2021.

The ring Smith won on Wednesday was actually his second. He won his first ring as part of the 2020 Dodgers, who won the World Series in that pandemic-shortened season.

The Will Smith World Series winning streak began in 2020 and now continues into 2024, and there is one man responsible for keeping it going in the years in between: Will Smith. No, not that Will Smith. Another Will Smith. Not the catcher or the actor/musician, but a relief pitcher.

Non-Dodgers Will Smith is the player who made this strange little series famous. As a lefty, he was on the playoff rosters of all three World Series champions from 2021 to 2023: the 2021 Atlanta Braves, the 2022 Houston Astros and the 2023 Texas Rangers. He was the first player to win the World Series in three consecutive years with three won by different teams.

Incredibly, there’s a good chance that the Will Smith streak will continue not just next year, but for many years into the future. The Dodgers are already considered favorites to win the 2025 World Series and have signed catcher Will Smith to a contract through 2033. The Dodgers appear ready to find out how many years in a row a player named Will Smith can win a World Series ring.