‘Real’ Buehler helps put Dodgers on cusp of title
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — Walker Buehler had spent all year wondering if he’d ever recapture who he was, when his fastball was overpowering and his confidence was unrivaled. By the time he took the mound for Game 3 of the World Series, he had evolved from searching to accepting to surviving over these past six months. If he was going to give his Los Angeles Dodgers a chance in the biggest of games, Buehler thought, he’d basically have to reinvent himself every time he toed the rubber in October.
And then, somehow, in what might be his last game as a Dodger, the old Buehler showed up.
In front of a hostile Yankee Stadium crowd and against a desperate-yet-overpowering New York Yankees lineup, Buehler cruised through five scoreless innings, riding a suddenly lively fastball and setting the tone in a backbreaking 4-2 victory on Monday night. The Dodgers have now taken a commanding 3-0 lead in this World Series, sitting just one win away from their first title in four years and their first full-season championship since 1988. Buehler’s best self showed up just in time to put them there.
“There’s a lot of questions about him,” Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts said. “But when those lights turn on, this is the real Walker Buehler.”
Freddie Freeman, looking healthier than he has all month, gave the Dodgers an immediate two-run lead with a first-inning homer, his third in a stretch of six at-bats. Betts continued his stirring October, working a nine-pitch at-bat to drive in a run in the top of the third and making a sprawling catch in the bottom of the fourth. As a whole, the Dodgers continued to be sound on defense and stingy on offense.
But it was Buehler who set the tone, allowing just four baserunners — two via hit, two via walk — and striking out five. It was surprising, but it also felt familiar. Buehler previously pitched seven scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series and six innings of one-run ball against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the 2020 World Series. His 0.50 ERA is the sixth lowest for a pitcher’s first three World Series starts since earned runs became an official statistic in 1913. It might not be a coincidence.
“I think, as kind of brutal as it is to say, it takes that adrenaline and stuff to really get me going mentally,” Buehler said. “I wish I would have felt that all year. I could tell you I’m excited to pitch every single game I’ve ever gone out there, but there is something different in the playoffs.
“At least long term for me, to get through the playoffs in the way that I have, it’s really encouraging for me personally because I know it’s in there and I’ve just got to unlock it a little bit. But that feeling of there’s an organization relying on me today to win a playoff game — I think it’s the weight that I like feeling and gets me in a certain place mentally that it’s kind of hard to replicate.”
Buehler, a free agent at season’s end, generated six swing-and-misses on his fastball, his most since 2021. That year, Buehler finished fourth in National League Cy Young Award voting, going 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA. He was 27 and looked like one of the game’s best pitchers. Then he struggled through the first 2½ months of 2022 and underwent a second Tommy John surgery that didn’t place him back atop a major league mound until May of this season.
Buehler posted a 5.84 ERA in his first eight regular-season starts and a 4.93 ERA over his last eight regular-season starts. In between, he landed on the IL with a hip injury and went on hiatus to a private performance facility in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, in hopes of rediscovering himself.
Buehler’s inclusion on the Dodgers’ postseason rotation was a product of the injuries that prevented the likes of Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone from contributing. But October has brought out something different in him. It began in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, during which Buehler gave up six runs in a second inning that saw the Dodgers’ defense make a multitude of mistakes but followed with three scoreless innings to save the bullpen. In Game 3 of the NL Championship Series, he rode a highly effective curveball to continually get out of jams and keep the New York Mets scoreless through four innings. In Game 3 of the World Series, that fastball was back. So was everything else.
“I thought his stuff was as good as it’s been all year,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I thought the fastball had life. The cutter was good. The curveball was good. He pitched all quadrants and kept those guys honest, kept them at bay. There was no stress.”
Buehler found comfort in pitching from the stretch during his last start from Citi Field. It’s far more tiring than pitching from the windup because he has to exert more force to throw at his normal velocity, Buehler explained, but it keeps his mechanics tight. It also can be a tool to mess with opposing hitters’ timing.
“I think, as kind of brutal as it is to say, it takes that adrenaline and stuff to really get me going mentally. I wish I would have felt that all year. I could tell you I’m excited to pitch every single game I’ve ever gone out there, but there is something different in the playoffs.”
Dodgers Game 3 starter Walker Buehler
Buehler began Game 3 with a leadoff walk but followed by retiring Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in order. Shortly thereafter, he struck out four consecutive batters on four different pitches — a fastball, a curveball, a sweeper and a sinker. The Yankees threatened with a Stanton double and an Anthony Volpe single in the fourth, but Teoscar Hernandez gunned Stanton down at home to end the inning. Buehler then cruised through the bottom of the order in the fifth, handing the game over to the Dodgers’ high-leverage relievers.
Starting pitching was by far the Dodgers’ biggest concern, both in this series and throughout the playoffs. And yet Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Buehler have combined to post a 1.62 ERA, stifling the Yankees’ biggest advantage and putting L.A. one win away from its first title since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Buehler won his last two starts in those playoffs, blanking the Atlanta Braves with the Dodgers’ season on the line in Game 6 of the NLCS and coming back to pitch six innings of one-run ball against the Rays the following round.
Four years later — after a stretch that saw him go from dominant to bad, injured, recovering, ineffective and, lastly, uncertain — that man reemerged at the most important time.
As Buehler said, “It makes the regular season worth it for me.”
Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is a National League All-Star replacement, giving the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander a chance to break Paul Skenes‘ record for the fewest big league appearances before playing in the Midsummer Classic.
Misiorowski was named Friday night to replace Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd, who will be unavailable for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta because he is scheduled to start Saturday at the New York Yankees.
The 23-year-old Misiorowski has made just five starts for the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball, with 89 pitches that have reached 100 mph.
If he pitches at Truist Park, Misiorowski will make it consecutive years for a player to set the mark for fewest big league games before an All-Star showing.
Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander getting ready for his second All-Star appearance, had made 11 starts in the majors when he was chosen as the NL starter for last year’s All-Star Game at Texas. He pitched a scoreless inning.
“I’m speechless,” said a teary-eyed Misiorowski, who said he was given the news a few minutes before the Brewers’ 8-3 victory over Washington. “It’s awesome. It’s very unexpected and it’s an honor.”
Misiorowski is the 30th first-time All-Star and 16th replacement this year. There are now 80 total All-Stars.
“He’s impressive. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game right now, even though he’s a young pitcher,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a starting AL outfielder for his seventh All-Star nod. “He’s going to be a special pitcher in this game for a long time so I think he deserved it and it’s going be pretty cool for him and his family.”
Carlos Rodón, Carlos Estévez and Casey Mize were named replacement pitchers on the AL roster.
The New York Yankees‘ Rodón, an All-Star for the third time in five seasons, will replace teammate Max Fried for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. Fried will be unavailable because he is scheduled to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.
In his final start before the All-Star game, Rodón allowed four hits and struck out eight in eight innings in an 11-0 victory over the Cubs.
“This one’s a little special for me,” said Rodón, an All-Star in 2021 and ’22 who was 3-8 in his first season with the Yankees two years ago before rebounding. “I wasn’t good when I first got here, and I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t to going to give up and just put my best foot forward and try to win as many games as I can.”
The Kansas City Royals‘ Estévez replaces Texas’ Jacob deGrom, who is scheduled to start at Houston on Saturday night. Estévez was a 2023 All-Star when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.
Mize takes the spot held by Boston‘s Garrett Crochet, who is scheduled to start Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mize gives the Tigers six All-Stars, most of any team and tied for the franchise record.
Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will replace Tampa Bay‘s Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list with left oblique tightness. The additions of Estévez and Garcia give the Royals four All-Stars, matching their 2024 total.
The Seattle Mariners announced center fielder Julio Rodríguez will not participate, and he was replaced by teammate Randy Arozarena. Rodríguez had been voted onto the AL roster via the players’ ballot. The Mariners, who have five All-Stars, said Rodríguez will use the break to “recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.”
Arozarena is an All-Star for the second time. He started in left field for the AL two years ago, when he was with Tampa Bay. Arozarena was the runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 Home Run Derby.
Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, a first-time All-Star, is replacing Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is scheduled to start Saturday night at Arizona. Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.
San Diego added a third NL All-Star reliever in lefty Adrián Morejón, who replaces Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. The Phillies’ right-hander is scheduled to start at San Diego on Saturday night. Morejón entered the weekend with a 1.71 ERA in 45 appearances.
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