Will Klein Throws 4 Scoreless Innings in 18-Inning Game 3 Win
Will Klein handled the final four innings and did not allow a run in the Dodgers’ 18-inning World Series Game 3 win over the Blue Jays. He struck out five, walked two and allowed one hit as Los Angeles took the game on a walk-off in the bottom of the 18th.
The outing gave the Dodgers a win in a game that pushed deep into the night and put Klein at the center of the team’s bullpen answer. He had not been used in the first three rounds of the postseason before the World Series roster move brought him into the picture.
Will Klein in Game 3
Klein was the pitcher left to cover the last four innings, and he kept the Blue Jays scoreless through the end of the 18-inning epic. The final line was clean: five strikeouts, two walks, one hit and no runs.
That workload was the difference between a short relief appearance and a long October assignment. The Dodgers needed someone who could keep the game from slipping away, and Klein held the line until the bottom of the 18th produced the walk-off.
Dodgers bullpen timing
He reached this stage after a sharp turn in his season. Klein posted a 2.35 ERA in 14 relief appearances for the Dodgers after being traded to Los Angeles in exchange for Joe Jacques.
Before that, last season at Triple-A Tacoma, he had a 7.17 ERA and a 1.969 WHIP in 22 relief appearances. He was not used in the first three rounds of the postseason, then was added to the active roster for the World Series and dropped straight into the deepest game of the playoffs.
Mariners and the trade return
The trade also left the Mariners with a bullpen that ranked second in the majors with a 3.08 ERA despite the absence of Matt Brash, Gabe Speier and Carlos Vargas. The same group also carried a 3.17 WHIP and was tied for 25th in batting average, a mix that shows how much the unit still lived on run prevention even while some numbers lagged.
Klein never actually pitched for Seattle in the majors, but his path from Tacoma to Los Angeles ended with him deciding an 18-inning World Series game. The Dodgers now have a reliever who was left out early in October, added for the World Series and then trusted with the final four innings when Game 3 stretched to 18.
