The Big Lead

Will Smith continues the most bizarre World Series streak

By Joe Lago

Oct 29, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Oct 29, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images
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Where there's a Will, there's a way to win a World Series.

More specifically, a Will Smith.

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For the fifth straight year, Major League Baseball crowned a World Series champion with a player named Will Smith on the winning roster.

Catcher Will Smith kept the streak alive Wednesday when his Los Angeles Dodgers rallied from a 5-0 deficit to win 7-6 and defeat the New York Yankees in five games for the franchise's eighth title.

The streak began with Smith's Dodgers in 2020, and it continued with Will Smith the journeyman left-handed reliever the next three seasons — first with the Atlanta Braves in 2021 and then with the Houston Astros in 2022 and the Texas Rangers in 2023.

The early odds have the streak surviving in 2025. Smith's Dodgers are already the betting favorites to go back-to-back as World Series champions.

Of course, this is just a weird coincidence. Having a player named Will Smith on your roster can't guarantee a championship. The mere notion is simply ridiculous.

Well, superstitious MLB general managers of 2025 contending teams will be happy to know that, even though Will Smith the catcher is in the midst of a 10-year, $140 million contract with the Dodgers, they can sign Will Smith the reliever for next season. The 35-year-old is a free agent.

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