Dodgers elimination ends streak of players named Will Smith winning World Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers' elimination from the postseason on Thursday ends a run in which a player named Will Smith was on the World Series-winning team for six consecutive years. This season will mark the first time since 2019 that the championship roster does not include a player by that name. From 2020 through 2025, two distinct players named Will Smith were members of World Series champions. In 2020, catcher Will Smith won the title with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The streak continued in 2021 when reliever Will Smith won with the Atlanta Braves. The Houston Astros acquired reliever Smith from the Braves at the trade deadline in 2022, and he was part of the team that won the World Series that year, extending the streak to three straight seasons. Following the 2022 season, the Astros declined Smith's club option, making him a free agent. He signed with the Texas Rangers before the 2023 season and won another World Series after the Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, achieving titles with three different teams. After the 2023 championship, Smith signed with the Kansas City Royals, but that team was eliminated by the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. Dodgers catcher Will Smith then restored the trend, as Los Angeles won the World Series in both 2024 and 2025. Relief pitcher Will Smith has not pitched in the major leagues since 2024. When the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Dodgers, it concluded the period in which a player named Will Smith was on the winning team each year.