Perrotto: Brent Honeywell Jr. moves from Pirates DFA to World Series

Brent Honeywell Jr. made two relief appearances for the Pittsburgh Pirates this year.

They were mostly lost in the shuffle. After all, Honeywell was one of 32 pitchers the Pirates used in an unimpressive season that saw them finish with a 76-86 record.

However, Honeywell's situation is not boring at the moment. He is a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen and his team can defeat the New York Yankees in the World Series by winning Game 4 at Yankee Stadium tonight.

Honeywell has yet to pitch in the Series, although that will likely change in Game 4 as the Dodgers plan to host a bullpen game for the fourth time this postseason to make up for their injury-depleted rotation.

Honeywell allowed one run in 3.1 innings with the Pirates. He was designated for assignment just before the All-Star break and the Dodgers claimed him off waivers.

The 29-year-old hit so well that the Dodgers decided to keep him on the roster for all three rounds of the postseason. He has scored four runs in 7.2 innings in two playoff appearances after going 1-1 with one save and a 2.62 ERA in 18 regular-season games for the Dodgers.

The Pirates were just one stop on a long journey for Honeywell, as he was a top prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays organization and started in the 2016 All-Star Futures Game in San Diego.

Honeywell had multiple arm surgeries and didn't make it to the major leagues until 2021 with the Rays. He was injured again before returning to the major leagues last year with the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox.

The Pirates signed him to a minor league contract last offseason and sent him to Triple-A Indianapolis to start the season. He played in 31 games for Indy, recording seven saves with a 4.85 ERA.

Honeywell's father worked in the Pirates' farm system from 1988 to 1990.

Little did Honeywell know that the Pirates' DFA would eventually take him to the World Series. He made it to the Fall Classic to cap off his 11th-place finish^Th Pro season.

“It definitely means a lot to me. “It means a lot to my friends, my family and the people at home, especially the people who helped me get to where I am now through baseball,” Honeywell, an Augusta, Georgia native, told reporters before the The Dodgers beat the Yankees 4-2 in Game 3 on Monday night.

“There is no better baseball, and I always knew it – my dad always told me, my family, my friends, everyone I played with always told me to just try to be part of one of the best be.” That’s what this is about. These are two of the best teams in the game. I want my team and all my players and all my teammates that I play with now to be the best in the league. That’s what we’re here for.”

Something the Pirates haven't done since 1979, long before Brent Honeywell Sr. was in the organization.