Slept Through The Dodgers-Blue Jays 18-Inning World Series Thriller? Say Hello To The Unlikeliest Hero: Will Klein

In 2018, the Los Angeles Dodgers won an 18-inning epic World Series game with a walk-off home run to take a 2-1 World Series lead. In 2018, pitcher Will Klein appeared in 14 games for the Eastern Illinois Panthers and compiled a 6.62 ERA. 

Last night (Tuesday morning for most), Klein emerged as the most unlikely of stars as the Dodgers completed another historic World Series Game 3,18-inning win. This time, it was a Freddie Freeman walk-off home run to move the score to 6-5, and finally put the Toronto Blue Jays away late Monday on the west coast, and early, early in the eastern time zone.  The Dodgers now have a 2-1 series lead. 

Three Teams in Two Years Sound Like Mop-Up Duty Pitcher – Not the Star of Game Three  

Klein had bounced between three organizations in less than two years, but delivered the performance of his lifetime when his team needed it most. The right-hander, who had never pitched more than two innings in a single major league appearance, stepped up and threw four shutout frames to earn the win and admiration of his teammates. 

Klein entered Game 3 having thrown a career-high 40 pitches in a single outing. Against Toronto’s lineup, he nearly doubled that total, firing 72 pitches across four innings of masterful relief work. The numbers tell only part of the story: five strikeouts, two walks, one hit, zero earned runs.

The 18th inning provided Klein’s signature moment. With two runners aboard and the game hanging in the balance, Toronto’s Tyler Heineman stepped to the plate. The pressure was suffocating – one mistake could shift the entire series momentum.

Klein, who said he had to “dig deep” to stay effective,  reached back for something extra, painting a 3-2 curveball that froze Heineman for strike three. The strikeout sparked raw emotion from Klein, who pumped his fist knowing he’d just authored the biggest moment of his professional life.

Freddie Freeman’s walk-off homer in the bottom half provided the fairy-tale ending, but Klein’s gutsy performance had already written the chapter that mattered most. His teammates made sure to include him in the celebration, recognizing that championships are built on contributions from unexpected sources.

Klein Was Not a Standout High School Player or College Player On His Way to the Major Leagues 

In high school, Klein earned first-team All-Conference and All-Area honors at Bloomington North High School in Bloomington, Ind. Normally to have “future major leaguer” written all over you, the credentials at least include all-state. But Klein’s credentials simply earned him a roster spot in Eastern Illinois. 

Now there is nothing wrong with Eastern Illinois athletics. Tony Romo is a proud alumnus, tearing up the football field before his Dallas Cowboys days. But, Klein did not exactly tear up the Eastern Illinois ballpark. After his previously mentioned 6.62 ERA, his ERA improved to 5.11 his sophomore year. He was drafted based on his potential in 2020, and maybe based on his improved 3.33 ERA during his junior year.

Who Knew The Kid From Bloomington, IN Would Emerge As The Game Three Star?

Once given his chance in professional baseball, it is not like Klein killed it. After being drafted by the Royals, they traded him to Oakland in July 2024.  His time with the Athletics lasted just three brief appearances before another trade shipped him to Seattle in January 2025. Four months later, the Mariners designated him for assignment. 

That’s when the Dodgers saw something special. Los Angeles claimed Klein in June, and he immediately justified their faith with a sparkling 2.35 ERA across 15⅓ innings. His 21 strikeouts against just 10 walks showed just enough to be the last man, the last arm on the pitching roster. After all, even in the World Series you need that guy who can eat up innings of a game that is out of hand, saving the rest of the bullpen for another day. 

That was exactly his role in Game One. Klein pitched the eighth inning of mop-up duty during the Blue Jays 11-4 rout over the Dodgers. And, who knew that one-hit scoreless inning was a precursor to one of the most epic moments in World Series history? 

Who knew the kid that did not even make the all-state team in high school, who improved from a 6.62 to a 5.11 ERA his sophomore year in college, who was released this summer by Seattle….who knew this kid would be the winning pitcher in Game 3 after throwing four innings of shutout ball against the Blue Jays?

Nobody knew.