Will Smith a one-player dynasty with individual three-peat
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If you’re on Will Smith’s team this time of year, consider yourself fortunate.
No, not THAT Will Smith. Nor the acting one. We’re talking about Rangers reliever Will Smith -- because he just did something legendary.
As part of Texas’ World Series-winning 2023 squad, the 34-year-old lefty won his third Fall Classic -- in THREE years. That’s right: Smith has been part of each of the past three World Series winners: the 2021 Braves, the ’22 Astros and this year’s Rangers.
When Texas completed its 5-0 victory over Arizona in Game 5 on Wednesday night at Chase Field, Smith became the first player in MLB history to be on the World Series roster with three teams in three consecutive years and win it all each time.
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"They're all special," Smith said on MLB Network, "but this one was pretty cool."
Smith, who led the Rangers with 22 saves during the regular season, pitched two-thirds of an inning in both Game 1 and Game 4 of the 2023 World Series. He retired both batters he faced in his first appearance but yielded two runs in his second outing.
"This is obviously what you play for -- you want to win the last game of the year," Smith said. "This group's amazing, and it's been a lot of fun to be a part of it."
Smith had far more success with the Braves two years prior, throwing 11 scoreless innings in the postseason -- including four in the World Series. He recorded the final out of Atlanta’s win over Houston in Game 6 of the 2021 Fall Classic.
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The lefty was on the Astros’ World Series roster a year later after a midseason trade sent him to Houston for Jake Odorizzi. But Smith didn’t appear in the 2022 postseason, as the Astros’ bullpen delivered an all-time great playoff performance as Houston defeated Philadelphia in six games.
Smith still earned his second World Series ring in as many seasons, and after signing with the Rangers in free agency during the offseason, he now has his third. With his one-year deal coming to a close, the veteran reliever enters free agency again. It remains to be seen where Smith will land, but whichever team he ends up on might have some good fortune in store in 2024.