BIOGRAPHY
Walker Anthony Buehler was born on July 28, 1994, in Lexington, Kentucky. He is a starting pitcher in the 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 helped the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series.
Buehler attended Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Kentucky. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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. The Dodgers won the World Series in six games.
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.
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. 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).
Buehler made his first Opening Day start on April 8 for the Dodgers against the Rockies. He allowed two runs in five innings to record the win. On April 25, he pitched his first career shutout against the Arizona Diamondbacks, striking out 10 batters and allowing only three hits and no walks.
Buehler made 12 starts for the Dodgers in 2022, with a 6–3 record and 4.02 ERA. He left a game with the Giants on June 10 because of discomfort in his pitching elbow which eventually resulted in him undergoing season ending surgery. After his surgery was performed the Dodgers announced that Buehler underwent both a second Tommy John surgery as well as flexor tendon repair, likely keeping him sidelined until the 2024 season. Despite the injury, the Dodgers signed him to a $8.025 million contract for the 2023 season to avoid salary arbitration.