As coronavirus (COVID-19) cases skyrocketed across the country this past spring, many sporting events were either cancelled or postponed to a later date. Among them was the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby, which was delayed until September.
The winner of this year’s race was Authentic. The victory was worth $1,860,000 and improved the 3-year-old racehorse’s record to 6-5-1-0.
Authentic would lose the Preakness Stakes by a neck — ending his bid for the Triple Crown — but bounced back with another first-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic over the weekend.
According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Walker Buehler has a minority stake in Authentic and will take home a portion of the $6,000,000 purse:
Walker Buehler has a fractional ownership in Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, who captured today’s $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) November 8, 2020
Buehler, a Lexington, Ky., native, was in attendance at the Breeders’ Cup Classic and posted a photo of himself from Keeneland track:
For Buehler, his latest win comes only two weeks after helping the Dodgers capture their first World Series championship since 1988.
In his lone Fall Classic start, he held the Rays without a hit until the fifth inning and allowed just one run over six innings. Buehler finished the night with 10 strikeouts, becoming the first pitcher in World Series history to reach double-digits in six innings or fewer.
The 10-strikeout performance was the first in the Fall Classic since Clayton Kershaw had 11 in Game 1 of the 2017 World Series, and Buehler became just the seventh pitcher in Dodgers franchise history to accomplish the feat.
Furthermore, at 26 years and 87 days, Buehler is the youngest pitcher with a 10-strikeout game in the World Series since Josh Beckett did so at 23 days and 159 days old in Game 3 of the 2003 Fall Classic.
“He was unbelievable, he really was,” said Austin Barnes, who caught Buehler in Game 3. “He made it really easy on me. That might’ve been the best I’ve ever seen his stuff.”
Buehler reveals treatment for blisters
Buehler battled through blister issues for the majority 2020 season and was twice placed on the 10-day injured list because of them.
He regularly dodged questions when pressed for specifics on course of treatment, but recently revealed he used low-light laser therapy to manage his blisters.
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