Dodgers' Blake Treinen Had Interesting Way to Describe Facing Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton

Blake Treinen doesn't mince words when asked about facing to heart of the Yankees lineup in a 2-1 Dodgers victory.

Jun 1, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Blake Treinen (49) pitches during the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The Dodgers took the first game of a three-game set against the New York Yankees on Friday night. In a 2-1 extra-inning victory, all of the pitchers play an important role during the game. However, some pitchers, like Blake Treinen, get thrust into some of the tensest parts of the night.

It's the bottom of the 8th and the score is tied at zero. Anthony Banda fails to get out of the inning and leaves two runners on with one out to get. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts makes a move to the bullpen for Treinen to face Aaron Judge, the Yankees best hitter.

Not wanting to give up a hit, the two players have a 10-pitch battle that ultimately results in a Judge walk. It gets a little easier after that, but only because the next batter is not arguably the best hitter in baseball right now - as Judge is.

Up comes Giancarlo Stanton who has a .776 OPS and 15 home runs on the year. Even when he's at his worst, his sheer power can drive any ball out of the park. On the second pitch, with the bases loaded, Stanton flies out to left field.

After getting out of a bases-loaded situation against those two hitters, no one would blame Treinen for showing some emotion. When asked about his outing after the game, all the veteran said was, "That's fun."

That's part of what makes Treinen one of the best relievers in all of baseball, the moment never gets too big for him. He attacks every situation the same and keeps his heart rate under control.

There was a lot of speculation about what Treinen would look like when he made his Dodgers return. The 35-year-old had not pitched in basically two years and he could easily have regressed in that time.

However, he's been every bit of dominant as he was before his shoulder injury in 2022. He has yet to allow an earned run to score in his 11.0 innings of work this year. Even more impressive, none of his four inherited runners have scored either.

The Dodgers have had to use a lot of different bullpen arms already in 2024. Having Treinen and Evan Phillips anchoring the backend of that unit, though, will help alleviate most issues they might face.