With Opening Day of the 2020 Major League Baseball season indefinitely delayed, MLB.TV made every game played in 2018 and 2019 available to stream for free. With that, DodgerBlue.com ranked the best Los Angeles Dodgers games from those two seasons.
The list concludes with the No. 1 game from 2019, when Walker Buehler made modern Dodgers franchise history during a complete game effort against the Colorado Rockies. Buehler’s brilliance helped set the stage for Matt Beaty’s walk-off home run that started a historic weekend for Dodgers rookies.
Buehler took the mound that June night having gone 2-0 with a 0.41 ERA and 0.45 WHIP in three starts during the month. He additionally was in the midst of a 17-inning scoreless streak.
Buehler recorded six strikeouts, including five in a row, and had thrown just 38 pitches to take a perfect game into the fourth inning. He lost it on a two-out home run by Nolan Arenado, and later surrendered a solo shot to Charlie Blackmon as well.
Buehler nevertheless set a career high with 16 strikeouts and threw his first complete game.
There wasn’t any movement in the Dodgers bullpen as Buehler set the Rockies down in order in the eighth inning. Though that changed as Pedro Baez began to warm up, but Buehler batted for himself in the bottom of the eighth and reached a one-out single.
Buehler allowed a base hit to Blackmon in the top of the ninth but otherwise struck out the side. His previous career high was 12 strikeouts, which was also set against the Rockies in a start at Dodger Stadium in September 2018.
With his outing last season, Buehler became the first Dodgers pitcher with 16 strikeouts against zero walks in a game during the Modern era (since 1900). He additionally is the only pitcher in Dodgers franchise history with more than 15 strikeouts and no walks since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893.
Buehler’s 16 strikeouts are the most by any Dodgers pitcher since Hideo Nomo had 17 against the Florida Marlins on April 13, 1996.
Furthermore, Buehler’s 16 strikeouts tied for the third-most by a pitcher in a single game in franchise history, behind Ramon Martinez (18) in 1990, Sandy Koufax (18) in 1959 and 1962, Dazzy Vance (17) in 1925 and Nomo.
Best Dodgers games of 2019
No. 2: Cody Bellinger robs Christian Yelich and hits game-winning home run
No. 3: Wild rally in ninth inning for walk-off win
No. 4: Justin Turner has career night against Atlanta Braves
No. 5: Hyun-Jin Ryu nearly throws no-hitter against Washington Nationals
No. 6: Matt Beaty starts rookie walk-off weekend
No. 7: Regular-season finale sets franchise record for most wins
No. 8: Opening Day record eight home runs against Arizona Diamondbacks
No. 9: Kiké Hernandez hits walk-off on bobblehead night
No. 10: Clinching seventh consecutive National League West title in record fashion
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