Klassen makes his MLB debut

Port Washington High School 2020 graduate George Klassen is a Major League Baseball player.

Klassen, 24, made his debut for the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners, filling in for a starting pitcher who got sick.

The fireballer who can top 100 mph went 2-2/3 innings, allowing three hits, five walks and two earned runs while striking out four.

He talked to his high school coach C.J. Koehler after the game.

“It was awesome. He got back to me right away. It really speaks to who George is,” Koehler said.

“He loved the experience, being up with all the guys. It was definitely a big learning experience for him. He was trying to soak it all in.”

Koehler has coached across the state on a multiple of levels but said he never came across anyone like Klassen.

“I’ve never seen the arm talent and arm speed that he had in high school. When we had him, it was unbelievable,” he said.

Klassen was named a North Shore Conference honorable mention after his junior season in 2019, when he played a few infield positions and center field. He whiffed 47 batters in 20 innings, hit .311 and led Port with 14 hits, four doubles and 12 runs scored. The pandemic canceled his senior season.

Klassen played for the University of Minnesota and in 2023 was drafted in the sixth round with the 193rd pick by the Philadelphia Phillies.

He was traded to the Angels in July 2024 and was a non-roster invitee to Major League spring training this season. The Angels called him up from the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees.