Dodgers Exit Ends Six-Year Will Smith World Series Streak

The Los Angeles Dodgers' elimination by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series has ended a six-year run in which every World Series champion from 2020 through 2025 featured a player named Will Smith. The streak involved two different Major League Baseball players, a Dodgers catcher and a left-handed relief pitcher, whose teams collectively won six consecutive championships.

According to reports published by Yahoo Sports, FOX News, SBS News and ClutchPoints in October 2026, the Dodgers' postseason exit guarantees that the streak will end this year. Neither the Brewers nor the Tampa Bay Rays have a player named Will Smith on their roster, leaving no remaining candidate among the teams identified in the reports.

The six-year sequence began when the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series, with catcher Will Smith on their roster. Relief pitcher Will Smith continued the run with the Atlanta Braves in 2021, the Houston Astros in 2022 and the Texas Rangers in 2023. The Dodgers catcher then contributed to his team's championships in 2024 and 2025.

The two players' championship records differed in their individual postseason participation. The relief pitcher appeared in the World Series for Atlanta in 2021 and Texas in 2023, while he was on Houston's championship roster in 2022 without pitching in the series, according to SBS News.

The streak also connected the two players through a memorable matchup in the 2020 National League Championship Series, when the Dodgers faced the Atlanta Braves. According to Yahoo Sports, Los Angeles trailed the series three games to one before Game 5, with Atlanta leading 2-1 in the sixth inning.

With Mookie Betts on second base and two outs, Atlanta brought left-handed reliever Will Smith into the game to face Max Muncy. Muncy drew a six-pitch walk before Dodgers catcher Will Smith hit a three-run home run against the pitcher sharing his name, turning the game around in a 7-3 Los Angeles victory.

Yahoo Sports reported that the home run was the catcher's only hit in seven plate appearances against his namesake. During their other matchups, in 2019 when the pitcher played for the San Francisco Giants and in 2021-22 with Atlanta, the catcher went hitless in six at-bats and struck out three times.

The Dodgers subsequently defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first World Series championship since 1988. The following year, the relief pitcher helped Atlanta end its own 26-year championship drought by winning the 2021 World Series.

The relief pitcher's championship run continued after Houston acquired him from Atlanta at the 2022 trade deadline. Following the Astros' title, the club declined his option after the season, and he became a free agent before signing with Texas for 2023, when the Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks to secure their first World Series championship.

After the 2023 season, the pitcher signed with the Kansas City Royals. The Royals were eliminated by the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, ending his immediate opportunity to extend the streak. He has not pitched in the major leagues since 2024, according to FOX News.

The Dodgers catcher subsequently became the only player named Will Smith to represent the championship teams in 2024 and 2025. Los Angeles won consecutive titles during those seasons before the Brewers eliminated the club in the 2026 National League Championship Series.

The two players have different full names despite sharing the same commonly used name. SBS News identified the catcher as William Dills Smith and the former relief pitcher as William Michael Smith.

The Brewers' postseason success carries additional historical significance for the franchise. According to ClutchPoints, Milwaukee had never won a World Series and had not reached the championship series since 1982. The same report noted that Cleveland had not won a World Series since 1948, while Tampa Bay had never claimed a championship.