Walker Buehler

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Walker Buehler
Walker Buehler pitching in bullpen for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019 (Cropped).jpg
Buehler with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019
Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 21
Pitcher
Born: (1994-07-28) July 28, 1994 (age 27)
Lexington, Kentucky
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 7, 2017, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Win–loss record40–13
Earned run average2.90
Strikeouts632
Teams
  • Los Angeles Dodgers (2017–present)
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× All-Star (2019, 2021)
  • World Series champion (2020)
  • All-MLB First Team (2021)
  • Pitched in a combined no-hitter (May 4, 2018)

Walker Anthony Buehler (born July 28, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores and was a member of their 2014 College World Series championship team. Buehler was selected by the Dodgers 24th overall in the 2015 MLB draft out of Vanderbilt and made his MLB debut in 2017. He was an All-Star in 2019 and 2021 and helped the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series.

Amateur career[]

Buehler attended Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Kentucky.[1] He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 14th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign and instead honored his commitment to Vanderbilt University.[2]

As a freshman in 2013, he made 9 starts and appeared in 16 games. He had a 4–3 record with a 3.14 earned run average (ERA) and 57 strikeouts. As a sophomore, he went 12–2 with 111 strikeouts and a 2.64 ERA and was a member of the 2014 College World Series championship team.[3][4][5] On June 16, 2014, Buehler pitched 5.1 innings of no-hit relief, retiring the first nine batters he faced and striking out 7 batters in Vanderbilt's 6–4 win over University of California Irvine.[6]

After the 2014 season Buehler played for Team USA[7] and the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL).[8] He posted a 0.63 earned run average with 24 strikeouts over 28.2 innings pitched for the Red Sox.[9] In the 2014 CCBL playoffs, he did not allow a run in 15.1 innings, won both of his starts, and was a co-winner of MVP honors,[10] leading the Red Sox to the league championship.[11]

In 2015, as a junior he posted a 2.97 ERA in 78.2 innings for the Commodores while striking out 81 and walking 25. Over the course of his three-year college career, he went 20–7 with a 2.88 ERA in 49 games, striking out 249 against only 83 walks.[11]

Professional career[]

Minor leagues[]

Buehler was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 24th overall selection of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft[12] and signed on July 17, 2015, for a $1.78 million bonus.[13] Soon after his signing, it was revealed that he would require Tommy John surgery and would therefore be sidelined for a year and a half with recovery.[14] He finally made his professional baseball debut on August 23, 2016, for the Arizona League Dodgers, striking out three and retiring all six batters he faced.[15] He was then promoted to the Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League on August 28.[16] He appeared in two games for the Loons, making one start, and did not allow a run or a hit in the three innings he pitched.[17]

Buehler began the 2017 season with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League and allowed only three runs in 16+1⁄3 innings over five starts before he was promoted to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League on May 2.[18] While with the Drillers, he made 11 starts with a 3.49 ERA and was selected to appear in the mid-season Texas League all-star game.[19] He was promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers at mid-season[20] where he made three starts before transitioning to the bullpen in preparation for a potential September major league callup.[21] He had a 4.63 ERA in 23+1⁄3 innings for Oklahoma City.[22] At the end of the season, he was selected as the Dodgers minor league pitcher of the year.[23]

Buehler with the Tulsa Drillers in 2017

Los Angeles Dodgers[]

2017[]

The Dodgers added Buehler to the major league roster for the first time on September 6, 2017,[24] and he made his major league debut that night with two scoreless innings of relief against the Colorado Rockies. His first MLB strikeout was against Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies.[25] He picked up his first major league win with a scoreless inning of relief against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 21.[26] Overall, Buehler appeared in eight Dodgers games in 2017, allowing eight runs in 9+1⁄3 innings (7.71 ERA) with 12 strikeouts and eight walks.[27]

2018[]

Buehler made his first major league start on April 23, 2018, against the Miami Marlins, pitching five scoreless innings.[28] On May 4, against the San Diego Padres, he took a no-hitter through six innings, with eight strikeouts, until being taken out of the game after 93 pitches. Three relief pitchers combined to finish it off as the Dodgers won 4–0, the first combined no-hitter in franchise history.[29] He was placed on the disabled list on June 21 because of a rib injury.[30] He returned to make an appearance out of the bullpen on June 28 but allowed five earned runs in one inning before returning to the disabled list.[31] On July 13, Buehler made his first start in over a month against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing two solo home runs to Kole Calhoun but no other earned runs.[32] He set a new career high in strikeouts with nine on August 22.[33] After three more nine-strikeout starts, he struck out 12 on September 19 against the Colorado Rockies.[34]

On October 1, Buehler started the NL West Tie-Breaker Game against the Colorado Rockies. He picked up the win, giving up only one hit and allowing no runner to advance past second base. He also got his first career MLB run batted in in his 47th plate appearance.[35] In 24 appearances for the Dodgers (23 starts and one relief appearance) in 2018, Buehler was 8–5 with a 2.62 ERA and 151 strikeouts.[27] In the 2018 NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, he started one game and allowed five runs in five innings; in the 2018 NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers he started two games, allowing five runs in 11+2⁄3 innings; and he threw seven scoreless innings in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox.[27] Buehler finished third in voting for the National League Rookie of the Year, behind Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto.[36]

2019[]

On April 11, Buehler hit his first career home run off of Michael Wacha of the St. Louis Cardinals.[37] On June 21, he threw his first complete game against the Colorado Rockies, becoming the first Dodger pitcher with over 15 strikeouts and no walks. He struck out 16 Rockies, giving up three hits on 111 pitches.[38] He was selected to the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, his first all-star appearance, in which he gave up one run in one inning.[39] On August 3, Buehler pitched another complete game, against the San Diego Padres. He struck out 15 Padre hitters and walked none; San Diego's only run was a Manuel Margot solo home run. At the same time he became only the third pitcher in MLB history (after Dwight Gooden and Pedro Martínez) with multiple games with 15 strikeouts and no walks in the same season.[40]

Buehler finished the 2019 regular season with a record of 14–4, and a 3.26 ERA (9th in the NL) in 30 starts, with two complete games and 215 strikeouts.[27] His .778 win-loss percentage was the best in the league, and he also led the league in complete games with two.[27] He finished ninth in the Cy Young Award voting.[27] Buehler was named the Dodgers' game one starter for the NLDS. He allowed only one hit in six scoreless innings, while striking out eight and walking three to pick up the win.[41] He also started the deciding fifth game of the series, allowing only one run in 6+2⁄3 innings while striking out seven in a game the Dodgers eventually lost in extra innings.[42]

2020[]

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Buehler posted a 1–0 record with a 3.44 ERA in eight starts, striking out 42 batters in 36.2 innings.[27] Buehler started the first games of the first and second round playoff series against the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres, pitching just four innings in each game, with three total runs allowed.[27] In the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, he started the first and sixth games, working a total of 11 innings with only one run allowed while striking out 13. He was the winning pitcher in Game 6.[43] In the third game of the 2020 World Series, Buehler picked up the win against the Tampa Bay Rays, striking out 10 in six innings while allowing one earned run on three hits. He was the third-youngest pitcher with 10 or more strikeouts and three or fewer hits in a World Series game, behind only Ed Walsh in 1906 and Josh Beckett in 2003.[44] The Dodgers won the World Series in six games.[45]

2021[]

Buehler was eligible for salary arbitration for the first time before the 2021 season. On February 10, he signed a two-year contract with the Dodgers for $8 million.[46]

On June 20, Buehler won his seventh game of the season, tying Kirby Higbe for the Dodgers franchise record of 23 consecutive starts without a loss, going back to the 2019 season.[47][48] He was a 2021 National League All Star, and the July 2021 NL Pitcher of the Month.

Buehler was 16–4 (.800; 2nd in the NL) in the 2021 regular season, with a 2.47 ERA (3rd) and 212 strikeouts (7th). His 16 wins were 3rd in the league. He gave up 6.458 hits per 9 innings (2nd in the NL), and had a WHIP of 0.968 (4th).[27] Buehler started the first game of the 2021 NLDS against the San Francisco Giants, allowing three runs on 6+1⁄3 innings to take the loss.[49] He then started Game 4 on short rest, the first time he had done that in his career. In the game, he allowed one run on three hits in 4+1⁄3 innings.[50] He struggled in his first start in the 2021 NLCS, allowing four runs on six hits while walking three in 3+2⁄3 innings in Game 3.[51] He again pitched on short rest in Game 6 after Max Scherzer was unable to go, he allowed seven hits and four runs (three of them on a home run by Eddie Rosario) in four innings while striking out six as the Dodgers were eliminated from the playoffs.[52]

Personal life[]

Buehler has heard the famous roll call scene from the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off many times throughout his life.[53] Buehler embraced the nickname "Ferris," incorporating it into his Twitter handle and wearing it on his jersey during the 2018 MLB Players Weekend.[54] He chose to wear the nickname "Buetane"[55] for the 2019 MLB Players Weekend.[56]

Buehler is a native of Lexington, Kentucky, the "Horse Capital of the World," home to the Kentucky Horse Park, The Red Mile and Keeneland race courses, and grew up a big fan of horse racing. He has a minority ownership stake in 2020 Kentucky Derby and 2020 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Authentic, trained by Bob Baffert.[57] Buehler attended the 2020 Breeders' Cup Classic to see Authentic win at Keeneland.

Buehler is engaged to McKenzie Marcinek, who he began dating in high school. The couple bought a home in Lexington, KY, and share a French bulldog named Nala.[58]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Fields, Mike (April 28, 2019). "Henry Clay senior Walker Buehler a standout on the mound and in the classroom". Lexington Herald Leader. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "4.3 GPA, Blazing Fastball Lead to Vanderbilt Scholarship". LexingtonFamily.com. July 3, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  3. ^ Fields, Mike (April 30, 2015). "Henry Clay's Buehler chasing another title as Vandy visits Kentucky". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  4. ^ Sparks, Adam (March 12, 2015). "Vandy's 1–2 pitching punch back for SEC opener". Tennessean.com. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  5. ^ Fields, Mike (June 13, 2014). "Henry Clay's Buehler key component of Vandy's run to College World Series". Kentucky.com. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  6. ^ "Vandy moves win away from spot in finals | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  7. ^ Smith, Chris (July 15, 2014). "Walker Buehler joining Team USA". Vandy247. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  8. ^ Burke, Caroline (October 26, 2018). "Walker Buehler's College Career: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  9. ^ "Walker Buehler – Profile". Pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  10. ^ "Y-D's Walker Buehler and Marcus Mastrobuoni named Postseason Co-MVPs". CCBL. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Uhlman, Harold (June 10, 2015). "Meet Dodgers first-round draft pick Walker Buehler". Think Blue LA. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  12. ^ Weisman, Jon (June 8, 2015). "Vanderbilt RHP Walker Buehler taken in first round by Dodgers". Dodger Insider. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  13. ^ Simon, Andrew (July 17, 2015). "Dodgers agree with Buehler; Funkhouser back to school". mlb.com. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  14. ^ Stephen, Eric (August 4, 2015). "Dodgers 1st-round pick Walker Buehler to have Tommy John surgery Wednesday". SB Nation. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  15. ^ Minami, Craig (August 24, 2016). "Walker Buehler makes his first professional appearance for Arizona Dodgers". SB Nation. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  16. ^ Stephen, Eric and Craig Minami (August 28, 2016). "Jose De Leon leads Oklahoma City to 2nd straight PCL division title". SB Nation. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  17. ^ "2016 Great Lakes Loons Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  18. ^ Tripodi, Chris (May 2, 2017). "Dodgers promote Buehler to Double-A". milb.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  19. ^ "Nine Drillers Named to 2017 TL All-Star Game". milb.com. Tulsa Drillers. June 14, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. ^ Unruh, Jacob (July 18, 2017). "Dodgers: Pitching prospect Walker Buehler continues rapid rise through minors". The Oklahoman. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  21. ^ Plunkett, Bill (August 10, 2017). "Dodgers Notes: Walker Buehler beginning bullpen audition for possible September role". Orange County Register. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  22. ^ "2017 Oklahoma City Dodgers". Baseball Reference. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  23. ^ Stephen, Eric (August 23, 2017). "Walker Buehler, Keibert Ruiz named Dodgers minor league players of the year". SB Nation. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  24. ^ Callis, Jim (September 6, 2017). "What to expect from Dodgers' Buehler in big leagues". mlb.com. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  25. ^ Thornton, Joshua (September 8, 2017). "Buehler impresses in Major League debut". mlb.com. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  26. ^ Gurnick, Ken; Harris, Ben (September 21, 2017). "Dodgers rally in Philly, cut magic number to 1". mlb.com. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Walker Buehler Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  28. ^ Gurnick, Ken (April 24, 2018). "LA wins 7th of 8 after Buehler's scoreless 5". mlb.com. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  29. ^ Gurnick, Ken (May 5, 2018). "Dodgers combine for no-hitter against Padres in Mexico". MLB.com. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  30. ^ Gurnick, Ken (June 12, 2018). "Dodgers place Buehler on 10-day DL (rib)". mlb.com. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  31. ^ Jones, Kaelen (June 28, 2018). "Walker Buehler struggles in return". MLB.com. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  32. ^ Duarte, Michael (July 13, 2018). "Walker goes 5 innings in first start in a month". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  33. ^ Morino, Matthew (August 22, 2018). "Sets new career high in strikeout with 9". Dodger Blue. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  34. ^ Padilla, Doug (September 20, 2018). "Buehler settles in, racks up career-high 12 K's". mlb.com. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  35. ^ Gurnick, Ken (October 1, 2018). "Buehler helps Dodgers win the West". mlb.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  36. ^ Gurnick, Ken (November 12, 2018). "Buehler finishes 3rd in NL Rookie of the Year". mlb.com. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  37. ^ Harris, Joe (April 11, 2019). "Walker Buehler hits first career HR". MLB.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  38. ^ Gurnick, Ken (June 22, 2019). "LA makes Buehler (16 K's!) a walk-off winner". mlb.com. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  39. ^ Kavner, Rowan (June 30, 2019). "Ryu, Buehler, Kershaw join Bellinger on 2019 NL All-Star Team". mlb.com. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  40. ^ Gurnick, Ken (August 3, 2019). "SoCal breeze: Buehler K's 15 Padres in CG gem". mlb.com. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  41. ^ Gurnick, Ken (October 3, 2019). "Buehler's gem sends Dodgers past Nats". mlb.com. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  42. ^ "2019 National League Division Series (NLDS) Game 5, Nationals at Dodgers, October 9". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  43. ^ "2020 NLCS Los Angeles Dodgers over Atlanta Braves (4–3)". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  44. ^ Castrovince, Anthony (October 23, 2020). "Buehler K's 10 as LA takes 2–1 Series lead". mlb.com. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  45. ^ Castrovince, Anthony (October 28, 2020). "Wait is over! Dodgers win 1st WS since '88". MLB.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  46. ^ Toribio, Juan (February 10, 2021). "Buehler, Dodgers agree on 2-yr. deal (source)". mlb.com. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  47. ^ Sanchez, Jesse (June 19, 2021). "Buehler takes no-no into 8th in 11-K gem". MLB.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  48. ^ "Baseball | Player Pitching Streak Finder". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  49. ^ "2021 National League Division Series (NLDS) Game 1, Dodgers at Giants, October 8". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  50. ^ Stephen, Eric (October 12, 2021). "Walker Buehler proved he was the right choice for Game 4, as Dodgers even NLDS". SB Nation. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  51. ^ "2021 National League Championship Series (NLCS) Game 3, Braves at Dodgers, October 19". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  52. ^ Stephen, Eric (October 23, 2021). "Dodgers season ends thanks to Eddie Rosario, Tyler Matzek & the Braves". SB Nation. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  53. ^ Clair, Michael (April 16, 2019). "Walker Buehler to get Ferris Bueller bobblehead". MLB.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  54. ^ Gurnick, Ken (August 9, 2018). "Dodgers' nicknames for Players' Weekend". MLB.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  55. ^ Gurnick, Ken (August 18, 2019). "All of the Dodgers' Players' Weekend nicknames". MLB.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  56. ^ "Every team's Players' Weekend nicknames". MLB.com. August 24, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  57. ^ Gurnick, Ken (September 5, 2020). "Giddyup: Buehler has share in Derby winner". MLB.com. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  58. ^ "5 Facts on Walker Buehler's partner, McKenzie Marcinek". Off The Field. September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2021.

External links[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by No-hit game
May 4, 2018
(with Cingrani, García & Liberatore) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Jacob deGrom
 National League Pitcher of the Month
July 2021 		Succeeded by
Adam Wainwright
Retrieved from ""