Dodgers' World Series bullpen hero is one that got away from the Mariners

The Seattle Mariners aren't playing in the World Series right now, and the less said about that, the better. But at least one player with ties to the organization is leaving his mark on the Fall Classic, and it's about the last guy anyone would have expected.

Yes, Teoscar Hernández and Ty France are there, but it's right-handed reliever Will Klein who is the toast of Los Angeles alongside Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday morning. History will forever show him as the winning pitcher of Game 3 of the World Series, which was one of the most epic games in MLB history — it lasted 18 innings and took six hours and 39 minutes to play, and there were about a million twists and turns.

Though it was Freeman who hit the walk-off homer and Ohtani who got on base [Mr. Rooney voice] nine times, Klein helped make both feats possible by throwing the last 72 pitches and four innings the Dodgers needed in Game 3. He struck out five, walked two and allowed only one hit.

“Will Klein,” Freeman said after the game, per Tyler Kepner of The Athletic. “MVP of this game.”

Given that he never actually pitched for the Mariners, is it even fair to refer to Klein as a "former Mariner?" Perhaps not, but the Mariners are the organization he was with before he landed with the Dodgers in a trade for left-hander Joe Jacques in June. It wasn't exactly a big deal, only getting a press release but not much else in terms of headlines.

The Mariners let World Series Game 3 hero Will Klein get away

The Mariners themselves had only just acquired Klein in January in a trade with the Athletics, with international slot money going the other way to Oak... er, Sacramento. This was the second time he'd been traded in a span of six months, as he had previously gone to the A's from the Kansas City Royals in the Lucas Erceg trade in July of 2024.

Klein got his shot in spring training to earn a spot in Dan Wilson's bullpen for the 2025 season, but he didn't do much with it. His five appearances in the Cactus League saw him give up four runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks, with eight strikeouts. He was reassigned to Triple-A Tacoma in the middle of March.

Albeit with 32 strikeouts in 21.1 innings, Klein went on to get rocked for a 7.17 ERA in the 22 games he pitched in for the Rainiers. He did get called up to the Mariners in April, but it was only for one day. He ended up getting designated for assignment a little over a month later.

Klein has walked 6.9 batters per nine innings for his career in the minors, and he hasn't done much better (6.4) in the 22 regular season appearances he's made in the majors. As long as that problem is there, consistent action in The Show could be hard for him to get.

The Dodgers, however, haven't been able to be picky with their relievers all year long. They're especially desperate now without Tanner Scott or Alex Vesia, and the conditions of Game 3 gave Dave Roberts no choice but to put Klein in and let his leash out as long as possible.

Klein used the opportunity to showcase why he was once considered the Royals' No. 18 prospect by Baseball America. He got his fastball up to 99.3 mph and had Blue Jays hitters not knowing what to do with his curveball and sweeper. The only hit he allowed was an infield single, and he otherwise allowed just one ball to the outfield.

We're more than happy to tip our cap to Klein on an amazing performance that, with the Dodgers now holding a 2-1 series lead, has him that much closer to a World Series ring. And in case anyone is curious what happened to Jacques, he just signed with the New York Mets on a minor league deal.