Nathan Eovaldi now shares Red Sox-Dodgers World Series legacy with a new pitcher

On October 27 and well into October 28 on the East Coast, the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers delivered a World Series classic the likes of which Dodgers fans have seen before.

There have only been two 18-inning games in World Series history — the one on October 27, 2025 and Game 3 of the 2018 World Series when the Boston Red Sox visited LA during their latest Fall Classic appearance. Both games featured outstanding stat lines and excellent showings from pitchers, as games twice as long as usual should.

No pitcher left the 2018 epic with greater folk hero status than Nathan Eovaldi, who pitched the final third of the then-longest game in World Series history. Now, he shares his legacy with another pitcher, virtually unknown until October 27: Will Klein.

Klein, the last reliever in the Dodgers' bullpen, entered the game in the 15th inning. The third batter he faced, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., mustered a single off him, but he got out of the frame after facing the next hitter. Klein got through the 16th and 17th innings in three batters, each.

2018 Red Sox World Series hero Nathan Eovaldi's status is now shared with Dodgers reliever Will Klein

The 25-year-old faltered slightly in the 18th frame by walking Guerrero (who was thrown out on a fielder's choice) and Daulton Varsho, but escaped unscathed. He fanned Tyler Heineman for his last out of the game before Freddie Freeman took over in the bottom of the 18th to mash LA to a 6-5 victory.

Klein, who only pitched 15.1 innings in the majors during the regular season, posted five scoreless innings of the most stressful baseball he'll probably ever play. He let up just two hits, struck out five Blue Jays, and walked two.

Klein arrived in Los Angeles after the Mariners designated him for assignment in June. He was called up from and demoted back to Triple-A Oklahoma City four times during the regular season, and he wasn't on the playoff roster before the World Series began. It's safe to say he'll be remembered by Dodgers fans for the rest of time.

Eovaldi posted a longer, but similar outing in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series. The veteran righty, who was intially lineup to start Game 4 the next day, stepped up to take the ball from the decimated bullpen. He pitched six three-hit innings with five strikeouts and a walk. Unfortunately, the game didn't go Boston's way, as Max Muncy crushed a walk-off homer to claim LA's only win of the series, but Eovaldi's volunteerism and stellar last-minute showing will be remembered fondly forever.

The Dodgers have two 18-inning World Series wins under their belt, the two longest games in the history of the tournament occurred at Dodger Stadium almost exactly seven years apart, and two hurlers earned legacies that will live beyond them. The Red Sox should return to regular appearances in October for multiple reasons, but all-time postseason classics like Game 3 of the 2018 and 2025 World Series are a huge one.