The Los Angeles Dodgers are exuberant following their 6-5 18th inning win in Game 3 of the World Series. Obviously, the defining moment was Freddie Freeman's walk-off home run that put the Dodgers ahead 2-1 in the series.
Afterward, Dodgers reliever Will Klein had a very special encounter with an absolute legend of the game, Sandy Koufax, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. Klein was a huge catalyst that kept the Dodgers in contention.
He was the last reliever to come out of the bullpen. Altogether, Klein threw for four innings, gave up one hit, and struck out five. His last out in the 18th inning was a curveball in the dirt that forced Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman to swing and miss.
Afterward, Klein yelled to the heavens. Meanwhile, Koufax was looking on in amazement, and after the game, he uttered a few words to Klein.
“Nice going,” Koufax said after the game concluded at 11:50 PM PST. During the regular season, Klein pitched in 14 games and had an ERA of 2.35, a 1-1 record, and 21 strikeouts.
In the process, Game 3 took on mythic proportions. Altogether, both teams left a record 37 runners on base. The Dodgers are looking to repeat as World Series Champions, and the Blue Jays are looking for their first since 1993.
The rare sight of seeing Sandy Koufax touches the hearts of Dodgers fans
Words cannot begin to describe the legacy of Sandy Koufax. He pitched for the Dodgers from 1956 to 1966. A period in which they migrated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1957.
From 1962-1966, Koufax was arguably the best left-hander in the National League, if not all of baseball. He was so dominant that he won three Cy Young Awards (1963, 1965, 1966) and was the MVP in 1963.
That year, he led the Dodgers to a four-game sweep over the New York Yankees in the World Series. Koufax threw two complete games with an ERA of 1.50.
In Game 1, Koufax struck out a record 15 hitters and finished with a then-record 23 strikeouts. Two years later, Koufax etched his place in American history by famously refusing to pitch Game 1 of the series against the Minnesota Twins in observance of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur.
After losing Game 2, he pitched a 7-0 shutout in Game 5. In Game 7, Koufax threw a complete-game shutout on three days' rest to give the Dodgers the World Series.
In his later years, Koufax became largely reclusive. So seeing him front and center at Dodger Stadium was a sight to behold.
