The Los Angeles Dodgers needed plenty of heroes in its Game 3 marathon with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The 18-inning stalemate tested the limits of Los Angeles’ depth. Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman all shined at different points in the contest. But as the game wore on, manager Dave Roberts had to get creative.
Case in point; giving an extended relief appearance to the recently-acquired Will Klein. Entering into Monday night’s game, Klein had never pitched more than two innings in a single game. Against Toronto, he tossed four of them, earning his first career postseason win in the process.
WILL KLEIN IS NASTY. #WORLDSERIES pic.twitter.com/d50jBe4XCm
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 28, 2025
So, just who is Klein? And how’d he leave his imprint on Game 3 against the Blue Jays? Here’s what you need to know.
MORE WORLD SERIES GAME 3:
Who is Will Klein?
Klein is a 25-year old Dodgers reliever who was added to Los Angeles’ roster ahead of the World Series.
An Eastern Illinois alum, Klein was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. He enjoyed a solid start to life in the Royals organization and was selected to the 2023 All-Star Futures Game. However, in July 2024, Klein was dealt to the Oakland Athletics in a move that saw Lucas Erceg move in the other direction.
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Klein played sparingly in the bigs during his time in Oakland, only featuring in three contests. In Jan. 2025, Klein was dealt to the Seattle Mariners. He only lasted four months in the Emerald City before being designated for assignment.
Klein arrived in Tinseltown via trade in June 2025. He enjoyed a sterling spell upon his arrival, posting a 2.35 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings.
Will Klein stats 2025
- Appearances: 14
- Record: 1-1
- Innings pitched: 15.1
- ERA: 2.35
- Strikeouts: 21
- Walks: 10
- Hits: 14
- Earned Runs: 4
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Will Klein stats vs. Blue Jays
- Pitches thrown: 72
- Innings pitched: 4.0
- Strikeouts: 5
- Walks: 2
- Hits: 1
- Earned Runs: 0
After having never thrown more than 40 pitches in a single outing, Klein picked quite the night to have the best performance of his big-league career. He overpowered Toronto’s weary hitters with his lively fastball.
And when he needed a strikeout with the vultures circling and two runners on in the top of the 18th inning, he pulled the string, whiffing Tyler Heineman with a 3-2 curveball to get out of the frame.
Freddie Freeman ended things with yet another walk-off home run in the bottom half. But the Dodgers made sure to pay tribute to Klein’s efforts during their subsequent celebration.
The celebration for Will Klein is everything pic.twitter.com/gjfvK9bXif
— Nikki Kay (@NikkiKaySN1) October 28, 2025
