WATCH: Shutdown closer Kenley Jansen once flashed his big arm as a catcher

It all happened during the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Jansen converted to pitching later that year

Long before he was one of the game’s most dominant reliever pitchers, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was a light hitting minor league catcher. He converted from catcher to pitcher in the second half of the 2009 season.

Earlier that year Jansen served as the starting catcher for the Netherlands during the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The Netherlands upset the heavily favored Dominican Republic that year, and in the ninth inning, Jansen threw out speedster Willy Taveras trying to steal third base. (Taveras stole 68 bases in 2008.) Check it out:

The Dominican Republic team was loaded with MLB stars that year, just like it is every WBC. Peak Robinson Cano, Hanley Ramirez, and David Ortiz headlined the lineup. The Netherlands had one MLB player on the 2009 WBC roster: Rick van den Hurk. It was an incredible upset and Jansen throwing out Taveras was an enormous play.

A few days later the Netherlands played Team USA, and while they lost that game and were eliminated from the tournament, Jansen did throw out another basestealer, this time cutting down Ryan Braun in the second inning. Here’s the video:

From his knees! Yeah, Kenley could throw alright. That’s why the Dodgers moved him to the mound. Jansen, who was 21 at the time, hit .198/.256/.276 in the minors that year before becoming a pitcher. He was in the big leagues the very next season.

The 2017 World Baseball Classic begins March 6. The championship game will be played March 22 at Dodger Stadium. Here is the full schedule and the full rosters. Jansen will not suit up for the Netherlands this year.