World Series Champion

With two outs in the ninth inning of game six in the 2020 World Series, Blake Treinen ’11 felt like a fan, but one with one of the best seats in the stadium.

Despite pitching in three-straight World Series games, the Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher and South Dakota State University alum was ready if needed to pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays. 

However, Julio Urias was in control for that game’s final innings as the Dodgers recorded the 3-1 win and championship, meaning Treinen was one of several individuals running in from the bullpen to join his teammates in celebrating at the pitcher’s mound.

“If they’d gotten a couple of hitters farther, I think there was a chance for me or someone else to come in. I was mentally prepared to go into the game, but once Julio went strike 1, strike 2, we dropped the ball and were just like fans; we were watching,” said Treinen, who signed a two-year contract to return to the Dodgers in January. “When that happened, I was very thankful and grateful for everything God has brought me—my family, friends, career and all of the learning experiences—but at the end of it, winning the World Series was awesome and a great feeling but not as great as it would have been had it been a normal year … but it was still awesome.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Series was held in Arlington, Texas. Players were restricted to their hotels when not at Globe Life Field and were subjected to COVID-19 tests.

“You work your whole career to get to a situation like that to celebrate and enjoy your efforts as an athlete and the blessings God has given you along the way and you can’t do that,” Treinen said. “The second you win, they have people out there leading you to certain sections, keeping your wife and family inside an area on the field and saying you can’t leave. I just wanted to celebrate with my family … I understand they had jobs to do and there were restrictions and whatnot, but we just
wanted to be with our families and celebrate.

“We worked hard to stay healthy and finish strong. We were all in a bubble together anyway for three days so if someone had it, we were all exposed at that point. It is what it is, but no one can take away the fact we won the World Series.”

During the Dodgers’ World Series championship run, Treinen recorded 10 strikeouts over 11 1/3 innings. In game five, he struck out batters in one inning of work to preserve the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory.

After being selected an All-Star in 2018 and earning votes in the Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards, Treinen had a difficult 2019 season. He rebounded in 2020 and was ranked as the 36th-best free agent this offseason.

“L.A. did a good job last year letting me know when I was going to have an off day so I didn’t have to be worried about mentally charging myself for this game and not be called upon,” he said. “I knew I’d be throwing the first meaningful inning out of relief when I would be called upon.”

That role meant he needed to be ready for whatever the situation would be, regardless if that was facing the heart of the lineup, when runners were in scoring position or when the Dodgers needed an out or two before bringing in the closer.

“Once the game got to the fourth or fifth inning and I saw our starter was throwing well but his pitch count was high, I’d start getting mentally ready. I’d look at the lineup and think ‘If he gets through 8-9 but walks 1 or gives up a hit, I need to be ready for 2-3-4.’ I’d start getting my body loose in the fourth inning,” he said. “I’d be priming my body so when I hit the mound, I don’t have to use my first four to eight pitches to warm up; I’d use those first four warmup pitches to find the strike zone and be ready to go.”

A starter during his SDSU career and at the start of his professional career, Treinen has been a reliever full time since the 2015 season, his second in the major leagues.

“I’ve been blessed to have a very durable arm. As long as I’m prepared and feel good, I can throw probably three days in a row, if I’ve had a couple of days off and hopefully that continues but as a I get older, who knows? You can’t predict the future,” said Treinen, who will be 33 in June.

The 2020 postseason helped Treinen’s cause in determining interest in the free agent market.

“I knew I’d have a job. I couldn’t really worry about the logistics of it because we knew the market was going to be different due to COVID-19. There were multiple teams that had a strong interest, and we waited to see where the best fit was,” he said. “I knew I wanted to explore going back to L.A. because I have a lot of great memories, interactions and relationships there, but I also had to think about what’s best for my family. If there was a multiyear deal with more money—not that it’s just about money and I’ve always said I wouldn’t chase it—but if the situation was going to be better for my family, I had to explore those options.

“At the end of the day, L.A. came in with a very strong offer and really listened to the things we were hoping to settle. I’m back in L.A. and excited to be there, and following up after winning a World Series should be a lot of fun,” Treinen continued. He and his wife, Kati, an assistant women’s basketball coach at Walla Walla Community College, have a 4-year-old daughter, Addison, and a 2-year-old son, Krue. 

Those thoughts were way different following the 2019 season and he entered free agency.

“That year was interesting because I didn’t know what people were thinking of me after 2019,” he said. “However, we quickly saw there was a market for me and a lot of people saw what was going on—that was really nice.

“There was this narrative by some analysts around the league saying I was broken while there were teams that said, ‘he’s not broken, he just needs to get into a system that’s better for his body’ and that’s what the Dodgers did.

And it paid off for both sides,” Treinen continued.

Treinen hopes to be celebrating with his teammates again when the 2021 season ends.

“There are lot of good teams in baseball right now, so we’ll see how this season plays out. I think we’d be crazy to not assume we’ll be in the World Series and winning it again. That’s the expectation one should have, and these guys have been battle tested by being there three of the last four years.”

-Matt Schmidt