Texas Rangers reliever Will Smith made some unusual North American sports history when his team won the franchise’s first-ever World Series title on Wednesday night.
The night will go down in Rangers lore forever. After being a part of MLB for over 60 years, the franchise was finally able to end its championship drought and take its name off the list of organizations that have yet to win a World Series title.
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The team’s 5-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks sealed their 4-1 series win and was a special moment the players, coaches, team staff, and all of their families will never forget. However, for 11-year MLB veteran Will Smith, the victory stamped his place in sports history since he achieved something no athlete on the continent has ever done before.
Texas Rangers reliever the first North American player to win 3 straight titles with different teams
Following the Rangers win, MLB reporter Sarah Langs took to her X, formerly Twitter, account to reveal a very interesting new sports factoid.
“Will Smith is the first player in MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL history to appear in at least one game (regular or Postseason) with three different championship-winning teams in three consecutive seasons,” she wrote.
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In March, Smith signed a one-year deal with the Rangers after playing a season with the 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros. However, he ended up in Houston after being traded from the 2021 World Series champion Atlanta Braves.
Smith has been a journeyman reliever throughout his career and has also played for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, and the San Francisco Giants during his 11 seasons in the league. While he may not be remembered by many fans decades from now, this unique stat should make his name pop up in sports quizzes for the rest of the century.
