Buddy Kennedy can start clearing space on his ring finger.
Kennedy is the first confirmed 2025 World Series champion. It doesn't matter whether the Los Angeles Dodgers or Toronto Blue Jays win. Kennedy is a champ either way.
Neither World Series roster includes Kennedy's name, but that's OK. He's been a part of both teams this season.
Kennedy played two games for the Blue Jays early in the year, going 1-for-5 at the plate with a double.
Then he suited up seven times for the Los Angeles Dodgers, going just 1-for-17 at the dish (.059).
Kennedy will watch from home, not unlike the rest of us, just in his case, he knows he's going to get to call himself a World Series champion, at least to the point of having a ring.
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Teams get to choose who exactly they give World Series rings to. But they almost always give them to anyone who played even a single inning for them at the MLB level in that championship season.
This week on his Instagram story, Kennedy wrote two simple words over a post promoting the World Series: "Go Team."
Kennedy is a 27-year old from Millville, New Jersey. He was a fifth-round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017.
He has played in parts of four MLB seasons, also appearing for Arizona, Philadelphia and Detroit.
He did play for the Phillies this season at the MLB level, too, going 0-for-7 there.
Kennedy also appeared in 61 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley and 27 games at Triple-A Buffalo. In Triple-A this season, Kennedy batted.280.
There are other players who played for either the Blue Jays or the Dodgers this season and would get a ring if their respective side won, even while not being on the World Series roster itself.
But Kennedy has the rare privilege of having played for both before not making it to the Fall Classic.
Consider him a winner no matter what.
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