Walker Buehler
Walker Buehler | |
---|---|
Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 21 | |
Pitcher | |
Born: Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. | July 28, 1994|
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 7, 2017, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |
Win–loss record | 46–16 |
Earned run average | 3.02 |
Strikeouts | 690 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Walker Anthony Buehler (born July 28, 1994) is an American
Amateur career
Buehler attended
As a freshman in 2013, he made 9 starts and appeared in 16 games. He had a 4–3 record with a 3.14
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+2⁄3 innings pitched for the Red Sox.[9] In the 2014 CCBL playoffs, he did not allow a run in 15+1⁄3 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 2.95 ERA in 88+1⁄3 innings for the Commodores while striking out 92 and walking 30.[12] Over the course of his three-year college career, he went 21–7 with a 2.87 ERA in 51 games, striking out 260 against only 86 walks.[12]
Professional career
Minor leagues
Buehler was selected by the
Buehler began the 2017 season with the
Los Angeles Dodgers
2017
The Dodgers added Buehler to the major league roster for the first time on September 6, 2017,[25] 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.[26] He picked up his first major league win with a scoreless inning of relief against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 21.[27] 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.[28]
2018
Buehler made his first major league start on April 23, 2018, against the Miami Marlins, pitching five scoreless innings.[29] 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.[30] He was placed on the disabled list on June 21 because of a rib injury.[31] 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.[32] 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.[33] He set a new career high in strikeouts with nine on August 22.[34] After three more nine-strikeout starts, he struck out 12 on September 19 against the Colorado Rockies.[35]
On October 1, Buehler started the
2019
On April 11, Buehler hit his first career home run off of
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.[28] His .778 win–loss percentage was the best in the league, and he also led the league in complete games with two.[28] He finished ninth in the Cy Young Award voting.[28] 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.[42] 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.[43]
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.[28] 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.[28] 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.[44] 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.[45] The Dodgers won the World Series in six games.[46]
2021
Buehler was eligible for
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).
2022
Buehler made his first
This eventually resulted in him undergoing season-ending surgery on his right arm in August 2022.
2023
Buehler and the Dodgers initially hoped he would be able to rejoin the team in September and possibly for the postseason. However, after one two-inning minor league rehab appearance the team announced that he would not return in 2023 and hoped to be back for the start of the 2024 season.[65]
2024
After missing all of the 2023 season, Buehler signed a one-year, $8.025 million contract for 2024 in his final year of arbitration, matching his salary from the previous season.[66]
Personal life
Buehler has heard the famous roll call scene from the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off many times throughout his life.[67] Buehler embraced the nickname "Ferris," incorporating it into his Twitter handle and wearing it on his jersey during the 2018 MLB Players Weekend.[68] He chose to wear the nickname "Buetane"[69] for the 2019 MLB Players Weekend.[70]
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.[71] Buehler attended the 2020 Breeders' Cup Classic to see Authentic win at Keeneland.
Buehler is married to McKenzie Marcinek, whom he began dating in high school, and the couple reside in Lexington.[72]
See also
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ "4.3 GPA, Blazing Fastball Lead to Vanderbilt Scholarship". LexingtonFamily.com. July 3, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ Fields, Mike (April 30, 2015). "Henry Clay's Buehler chasing another title as Vandy visits Kentucky". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ Sparks, Adam (March 12, 2015). "Vandy's 1–2 pitching punch back for SEC opener". Tennessean.com. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Vandy moves win away from spot in finals | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- ^ Smith, Chris (July 15, 2014). "Walker Buehler joining Team USA". Vandy247. Retrieved April 3, 2019.[dead link]
- ^ Burke, Caroline (October 26, 2018). "Walker Buehler's College Career: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- ^ "Walker Buehler – Profile". Pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
- ^ "Y-D's Walker Buehler and Marcus Mastrobuoni named Postseason Co-MVPs". CCBL. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
- ^ Uhlman, Harold (June 10, 2015). "Meet Dodgers first-round draft pick Walker Buehler". Think Blue LA. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ a b "Walker Buehler College, Amateur and Minor League Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ Weisman, Jon (June 8, 2015). "Vanderbilt RHP Walker Buehler taken in first round by Dodgers". Dodger Insider. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ^ Simon, Andrew (July 17, 2015). "Dodgers agree with Buehler; Funkhouser back to school". mlb.com. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ Stephen, Eric (August 4, 2015). "Dodgers 1st-round pick Walker Buehler to have Tommy John surgery Wednesday". SB Nation. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
- ^ Minami, Craig (August 24, 2016). "Walker Buehler makes his first professional appearance for Arizona Dodgers". SB Nation. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "2016 Great Lakes Loons Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- ^ Tripodi, Chris (May 2, 2017). "Dodgers promote Buehler to Double-A". milb.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ "Nine Drillers Named to 2017 TL All-Star Game". milb.com. Tulsa Drillers. June 14, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Unruh, Jacob (July 18, 2017). "Dodgers: Pitching prospect Walker Buehler continues rapid rise through minors". The Oklahoman. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- ^ Plunkett, Bill (August 10, 2017). "Dodgers Notes: Walker Buehler beginning bullpen audition for possible September role". Orange County Register. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- ^ "2017 Oklahoma City Dodgers". Baseball Reference. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- ^ Stephen, Eric (August 23, 2017). "Walker Buehler, Keibert Ruiz named Dodgers minor league players of the year". SB Nation. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- ^ Callis, Jim (September 6, 2017). "What to expect from Dodgers' Buehler in big leagues". mlb.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ Thornton, Joshua (September 8, 2017). "Buehler impresses in Major League debut". mlb.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken; Harris, Ben (September 21, 2017). "Dodgers rally in Philly, cut magic number to 1". mlb.com. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Walker Buehler Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (April 24, 2018). "LA wins 7th of 8 after Buehler's scoreless 5". mlb.com. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (May 5, 2018). "Dodgers combine for no-hitter against Padres in Mexico". MLB.com. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (June 12, 2018). "Dodgers place Buehler on 10-day DL (rib)". mlb.com. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ Jones, Kaelen (June 28, 2018). "Walker Buehler struggles in return". MLB.com. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- ^ Duarte, Michael (July 13, 2018). "Walker goes 5 innings in first start in a month". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
- ^ Morino, Matthew (August 22, 2018). "Sets new career high in strikeout with 9". Dodger Blue. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
- ^ Padilla, Doug (September 20, 2018). "Buehler settles in, racks up career-high 12 K's". mlb.com. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (October 1, 2018). "Buehler helps Dodgers win the West". mlb.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (November 12, 2018). "Buehler finishes 3rd in NL Rookie of the Year". mlb.com. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Harris, Joe (April 11, 2019). "Walker Buehler hits first career HR". MLB.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (June 22, 2019). "LA makes Buehler (16 K's!) a walk-off winner". mlb.com. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ Kavner, Rowan (June 30, 2019). "Ryu, Buehler, Kershaw join Bellinger on 2019 NL All-Star Team". mlb.com. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (August 3, 2019). "SoCal breeze: Buehler K's 15 Padres in CG gem". mlb.com. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (October 3, 2019). "Buehler's gem sends Dodgers past Nats". mlb.com. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ "2019 National League Division Series (NLDS) Game 5, Nationals at Dodgers, October 9". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
- ^ "2020 NLCS Los Angeles Dodgers over Atlanta Braves (4–3)". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
- ^ Castrovince, Anthony (October 23, 2020). "Buehler K's 10 as LA takes 2–1 Series lead". mlb.com. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
- ^ Castrovince, Anthony (October 28, 2020). "Wait is over! Dodgers win 1st WS since '88". MLB.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Toribio, Juan (February 10, 2021). "Buehler, Dodgers agree on 2-yr. deal (source)". mlb.com. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ Sanchez, Jesse (June 19, 2021). "Buehler takes no-no into 8th in 11-K gem". MLB.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ "Baseball | Player Pitching Streak Finder". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Kavner, Rowan (July 10, 2021). "Turner, Buehler named to National League All-Star team". mlb.com. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ Harris, Blake (August 2, 2021). "Walker Buehler named National League pitcher of the month". SB Nation. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ "2021 National League Division Series (NLDS) Game 1, Dodgers at Giants, October 8". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "2021 National League Championship Series (NLCS) Game 3, Braves at Dodgers, October 19". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ Stephen, Eric (October 23, 2021). "Dodgers season ends thanks to Eddie Rosario, Tyler Matzek & the Braves". SB Nation. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ Maximo, Estevão (April 8, 2022). "Walker Buehler's first of many opening day starts". SB Nation. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ Toribio, Juan (April 8, 2022). "On Opening Day, 1 inning showed what LA is all about". Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ Rill, Jake (April 26, 2022). "Lights-out Buehler throws MLB's first CG of 2022". mlb.com. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- ^ Harris, Jack (June 10, 2022). "Dodgers fall to Giants as Walker Buehler leaves early because of elbow discomfort". LA Times. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ^ Stephen, Eric (August 23, 2022). "Walker Buehler has second Tommy John surgery, and flexor tendon repair". True Blue LA.
- ^ Harris, Jack (August 15, 2022). "Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery". LA Times. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ^ "Dodgers' Buehler has 2nd Tommy John surgery". ESPN.com. August 23, 2022.
- ^ Stephen, Eric (August 23, 2022). "Walker Buehler has second Tommy John surgery, and flexor tendon repair". SB Nation. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ Stephen, Eric (January 13, 2023). "Dodgers, Walker Buehler avoid salary arbitration, per reports". SB Nation. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ Harris, Jack (September 8, 2023). "Dodgers announce Walker Buehler will not return this season". LA Times. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ Stephen, Eric (January 11, 2024). "Dodgers sign Walker Buehler for $8.025 million to avoid salary arbitration, per reports". SB Nation. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ Clair, Michael (April 16, 2019). "Walker Buehler to get Ferris Bueller bobblehead". MLB.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (August 9, 2018). "Dodgers' nicknames for Players' Weekend". MLB.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (August 18, 2019). "All of the Dodgers' Players' Weekend nicknames". MLB.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ "Every team's Players' Weekend nicknames". MLB.com. August 24, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (September 5, 2020). "Giddyup: Buehler has share in Derby winner". MLB.com. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ "5 Facts on Walker Buehler's partner, McKenzie Marcinek". Off The Field. September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Vanderbilt Commodores profile
- Walker Buehler on Twitter