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We begin with Patroclus, who goes on a killing rampage in Book 16. Soon before his death, Patroclus leads three attacks against Troy, but heeds Apollo's warning and does not try a fourth assault (16.702-11). However, shortly thereafter he makes three final attacks on the Trojans, killing nine anonymous men each time; but on the fourth attack he himself is slain (16.785) [...]

The issue becomes even more interesting once we realize that the total number of named men slain by Patroclus is twenty-seven. Under these circumstances, the reference to his killing three times nine unnamed men at 16.785 hardly seems random or accidental; it not only reveals a compositional technique used elsewhere in the poem, but it also serves as a kind of subtotal, strongly suggesting that the poet is quite aware of Patroclus’ total kills.
         -“Who Was the First, and Who the Last?”: Counting the Named Victims of Homeric Warriors by Jonathan Fenno