Blake Treinen

BIOGRAPHY

Blake Treinen was born June 30, 1988, in Wichita, Kansas. He is a pitcher in the MLB.

The Nationals invited Treinen to spring training in 2014, where he impressed Nationals' coaches. He began the season with the Syracuse Chiefs of the Class AAA International League, and was promoted to the major leagues on April 12. He earned his first career win on June 29, making a spot start against the Chicago Cubs and out-dueling Jeff Samardzija in a 7–2 win. During the 2014 Washington Nationals season, Treinen appeared both as a starting pitcher and out of the bullpen, with his fastball clocked as high as 98 miles per hour (158 km/h). Splitting the season between the Nationals and the Chiefs, Treinen had a 2.49 ERA in 15 major league games and a 3.35 ERA in 16 minor league games.

In the Nationals' 2016 season, Treinen posted a 2.28 ERA on the year and narrowed his platoon splits versus left-handed hitting. He credited veteran teammate Matt Belisle and the Nationals' new pitching coach, Mike Maddux, for helping him improve his craft, while Maddux described Treinen's progress over the course of the season as "puppy dog to bulldog". Treinen led the National League in groundballs induced with 65.9% on the season and ranked highly in inherited runners stranded and soft contact created, among other metrics. Treinen was frequently used in situations when another Nationals pitcher had allowed one or more baserunners and manager Dusty Baker was seeking a double-play ball, a role in which he excelled with his high-90s sinker. He remained with the Nationals for the entire year, working exclusively out of the bullpen, and made his first playoff appearance for the team, being credited with the win in Game 2 of the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On July 16, 2017, the Nationals traded Treinen back to the Athletics, along with Sheldon Neuse and Jesus Luzardo, for Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson. At the time of the trade he was 0–2 with a 5.73 ERA and three out of five in save opportunities converted over 37 appearances. As the Athletics' closer, he converted 13 of 16 save opportunities after the trade. In early September, Treinen took three losses in a row, and was on the hook for a fourth, but the A's rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk off the Houston Astros 9-8, and Treinen got the win instead. Treinen recorded 13 saves with the A's in 2017, including his last 12 opportunities in a row after blowing three of his first four.

In the first half of the 2018 season, Treinen had a 5–1 record with an 0.79 ERA and 23 saves. He was named an All-Star. He finished the season with a 9-2 record, 38 saves (3rd in the AL), and an 0.78 ERA.

The start of the 2020 season was delayed to late July by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Treinen appeared in 27 games for the Dodgers (3rd in the NL), with a 3–3 record with one save and a 3.86 ERA. In the postseason, he pitched one inning in the Wild Card series, 2+1⁄3 innings in the 2020 NLDS, 5+1⁄3 innings in the 2020 NLCS and 2+2⁄3 innings in the 2020 World Series, allowing six total runs and picking up a save in Game 5 of the World Series. The Dodgers won the championship in six games.

Treinen pitched in 72 games for the Dodgers in 2021, with a 1.99 ERA, a 6–5 record, seven saves, 85 strikeouts and an MLB-leading 32 holds. In the playoffs, he pitched 1+2⁄3 scoreless innings in the Wild Card Game, allowed one run on one hit with five strikeouts in 3+1⁄3 innings in the 2021 NLDS and one run on three hits in 3+2⁄3 innings in the 2021 NLCS. He came down with a sore shoulder early in the 2022 season which shut him down for the first half of the season. Despite the injury, the Dodgers announced on May 22 that they had signed him to a one-year, $8 million, extension covering the 2023 season and included a conditional option for 2024.