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Where there's a Will (Smith), there's a way: 6 straight years with a title comes to end in '26

Baseball’s most improbable World Series streak has come to an end. Left-handed reliever Will Smith, who spent his final MLB season with the Kansas City Royals in 2024, capped a 12-year career by becoming the first player in history to win three consecutive championships with three different teams.

After claiming a ring with the Atlanta Braves in 2021, he followed up with titles in 2022 and 2023—first with the Houston Astros, then the Texas Rangers—while never missing a postseason appearance. His run of dominance also broke a modern-era barrier, as he and the Rangers became just the second team since the late 1990s to repeat as champions, joining the Yankees’ back-to-back titles from 1998 to 2000.

Smith’s versatility and clutch performances in high-pressure moments made him a key figure in each of those victories, cementing his legacy as one of the most unique winners in baseball history. The streak’s conclusion in 2026 marks the end of an era for a player who defied expectations by thriving across three franchises in three straight Fall Classics.

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