Dodgers Reliever Joe Kelly Has Been Utterly Filthy in the Playoffs Since 2016

The Los Angeles Dodgers might have the ultimate weapon in their bullpen this October. A group headlined by the likes of Kenley Jansen and Pedro Baez also features wily veteran flamethrower Joe Kelly. Though his regular season performance has been up and down over the past few years, he transforms into a completely different animal in the postseason.

Since 2016, the reliever has been downright dominant in the playoffs, logging 19 strikeouts and zero walks against some of the game's best players.

His arsenal was on full display Thursday when he came in to lock down the final inning of the Dodgers' 6-0 drubbing of the Washington Nationals in Game 1 of the NLDS.

He flashed some near-triple-digit heat before sending NL MVP candidate Anthony Rendon trotting back to the dugout with an absolutely devastating breaking ball. It's extremely difficult to make a hitter of his caliber look so lost at the plate, but Kelly managed to do it with frightening ease.

Since the start of 2016, Kelly has allowed just one run in 18.2 innings of work in October. Simply put, the man knows how to turn it on when it matters most.

If he continues to pitch like he has in postseasons past for the Dodgers, then they'll be in fine shape in the late innings here in October.