In an epic 18-inning World Series Game 3, relief pitcher Will Klein transcended his role as a journeyman right-hander, delivering an astonishing four scoreless innings that not only saved the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ bullpen but also etched his name into postseason lore as the unlikeliest of heroes.
The World Series often crowns its heroes from the ranks of perennial superstars—the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, or Mookie Betts. Yet, every so often, the biggest stage in baseball produces an improbable narrative, elevating an unsung player to legendary status. In Game 3 of the 2025 Fall Classic, that spotlight found Will Klein, a 25-year-old relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose marathon outing in an 18-inning epic against the Toronto Blue Jays will be remembered for generations.
The Unforeseen Call: From Fringe to Fall Classic Stage
Just days before his heroic performance, Will Klein wasn’t even on the Dodgers‘ active postseason roster for the first three rounds. His regular season saw limited action, pitching just 15 1/3 innings across 14 major league appearances. His journey to the World Series roster was itself an unexpected turn, a direct result of injuries plaguing the Dodgers‘ bullpen and the unfortunate absence of standout lefty reliever Alex Vesia due to a family emergency, as reported by Yahoo Sports. This opened the door for Klein, and he walked through it with a quiet determination that would soon captivate the baseball world.
When Game 3 stretched into its deepest extra innings, tied 5-5 with neither team able to break the deadlock, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts faced a dire situation. His bullpen was depleted, having already used eight relievers over 14 innings. With the prospect of turning to a starting pitcher like Yoshinobu Yamamoto or even a position player looming, Roberts pointed to his last remaining arm: Will Klein.
Four Scoreless Frames, Endless Heart
Entering in the 15th inning, Klein delivered an astounding four scoreless innings, surrendering only one hit while striking out five and walking two. This was a monumental effort for a pitcher whose career high for pitches in an outing was previously just 36. On this night, he hurled an incredible 72 pitches—roughly three times his previous best and 14 percent of all the pitches he had ever thrown on a big league mound in extra innings of a tied World Series game.
His composure under pressure was palpable. When asked about his readiness to continue pitching, Klein famously told his coaches he had “as many as you guys need.” He later reflected on his mindset during the marathon: “We weren’t losing that game. And so I had to keep going back out there. I was going to keep doing that — and doing all I could to put up a zero and sit back down and do it again.” This relentless focus was the bedrock of the Dodgers‘ eventual 6-5 victory, secured by Freddie Freeman‘s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th.
The collective performance of the Dodgers bullpen that night was historic, with nine relievers combining for 13 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Klein‘s four-inning stint, however, stood out as the anchor, delivering zero after zero when the team needed it most. Even veteran ace Clayton Kershaw lauded the performance, stating, “What he did tonight—above and beyond. Above and beyond what anybody can expect out of somebody that’s literally never done that before.”
A Journey of Resilience: From Catcher to World Series Star
Klein‘s path to this monumental moment has been anything but conventional. Originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB draft, he started his collegiate career at Eastern Illinois as a catcher. A broken thumb, however, led to his conversion to a full-time pitcher. Since then, he has bounced through four organizations, traded from the A’s to the Mariners in January, then designated for assignment and eventually landing with the Dodgers in June. His career trajectory, documented on platforms like MLB.com, reflects the grind and uncertainty often faced by developing players.
His unwavering commitment, even through multiple organizational changes and stints in Triple-A Oklahoma City, underscores the mental toughness required to seize such an opportunity. Manager Dave Roberts perfectly summarized the magnitude of the moment: “You don’t ever plan on playing 18 innings, and you just kind of ask more from the player. He delivered… certainly with the adrenaline on this stage, what he did was incredible.”
The Clubhouse Sensation: A Moment for the “Unsung Hero”
The immediate aftermath of Freeman‘s walk-off home run saw the usual celebratory mob for the game-winning slugger. However, a heartwarming pivot quickly occurred: Dodgers teammates, including giants of the game like Clayton Kershaw, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, and Mookie Betts, turned their attention to Klein, surrounding and mobbing him in the on-deck circle. “That was so cool,” Klein recounted. “I never dreamed that anything like this would happen. So just having the guys like [Clayton Kershaw], Freddie, Shohei, Mookie, all those guys kind of celebrating me for a second there was just insane. I don’t think I could have dreamt a dream that good.”
His phone, a testament to his newfound fame, “exploded” with over 500 text messages immediately after the game, followed by another 500 the next morning. “I heard from every coach I ever had,” he laughed, noting even his old T-ball coaches reached out. As fellow reliever Anthony Banda aptly put it, “That’s what I love about the playoffs. It gives an opportunity to a guy like Will Klein to become a legend.”
Will Klein‘s performance in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series wasn’t just a statistical anomaly; it was a potent reminder of baseball’s enduring magic—the ability of the unlikeliest of players to rise to the occasion, seize the moment, and forever etch their name into the sport’s rich tapestry. His night solidified the Dodgers‘ 2-1 series lead and, more profoundly, created a lifetime memory for a resilient athlete and a grateful fanbase.
