Herges made his Major League Baseball debut later that year with the Dodgers on August 3 against the Houston Astros, allowing 1 unearned run in 1.2 innings of relief. He only played in 17 games in 1999 but became a full-time member of the Dodgers bullpen the next season. He picked up his first win on April 21, 2000 against the Cincinnati Reds and went on to win his first 8 decisions. His first loss was on August 7 against the Chicago Cubs, his first game as a starting pitcher.