The Kansas City Royals were knocked out of the playoffs by the New York Yankees on Thursday night, ending a peculiar streak.
Major League Baseball hasn’t seen back-to-back champions since 2000 when the Yankees triumphed for the third time in a row. However, Will Smith, a relief pitcher, had an unusual three-year streak of winning rings with different teams and even made it to this season’s playoffs, though he wasn’t on the ALDS roster.
In 2021, Smith was key for the Braves as their closer. He saved six games without giving up a single run as they clinched their first World Series title since 1995. The following year, Smith was traded to the Astros but didn’t play in their playoff games. Even so, he got another ring when they won it all. Then in spring 2023, Smith joined the Rangers and appeared in five playoff matches with a high ERA of 10.80. Despite that, when the Rangers claimed their first-ever World Series victory , Smith added another ring to his collection.
Header Text: Will Smith’s Unlikely Journey
This past offseason saw Smith signing with the Royals after they lost 106 games in 2023. Surprisingly, they became one of baseball’s most exciting stories by making it to the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Was it because of Smith? Could he have been their lucky charm leading them toward an unexpected World Series run and yet another ring?
Fans might wonder if luck or skill played a bigger role in these events.
Sadly though, destiny had other plans.
What do you think about this twisty tale?
