Dodgers' Walker Buehler gets 100% real on 'hard year' after carving up Mets
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler has had one of the worst seasons of his career after returning from Tommy John Surgery, but he still did enough to crack the Dodgers' playoff rotation. Buehler's playoff run didn't get off to a great start, as he gave up six earned runs in five innings Game 3 against the Padres and was credited with a loss.
Buehler's second call to the mound in these playoffs came in Game 3 of the NLCS against the New York Mets . While he didn't make it deep into the contest, Buehler was very effective , shutting New York out in four innings with three hits, two walks and six strikeouts. He was pulled after just four as he reached 90 pitches for the night.
After Buehler's stellar outing and another strong performance from the Dodgers' bullpen helped lift Los Angeles to an 8-0 win and a 2-1 series lead, Buehler reflected on his difficult year as he tried to find his stride after his injury, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com.
"It's been a long road," Buehler said in his postgame interview, per Toribio. "It's been a hard year for me. The past couple of years are hard in different ways. But being back and not being successful sucks. ... For me, it was trying to make the playoff roster first. And now it's trying to win a big game in New York. When the stakes are that big, I think for me it makes everything else feel really small. Whatever failures I had during the year are kind of gone."
The biggest moment of Buehler's start came in the second inning, when the Mets loaded the bases against him with just one out. First, Buehler got Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez to strike out looking before getting Francisco Lindor to swing and miss at a nasty curveball.
Buehler has had a rocky year for the Dodgers, finishing with just one win in seven decisions during the regular season and seeing his ERA soar above five. However, he claimed to have gained confidence in the NLDS when he pitched three shutout innings after the six-run second inning, and he carried that over into Wednesday night. There's a chance he could get the nod if this NLCS goes to a Game 7, or he could be throwing in the World Series very soon.
