Walker Buehler has been dominant plenty of times for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Saturday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks began to take on a different feel with each inning that passed.
Buehler hit a batter and issued a walk in the second inning, doled out another free pass in the fourth, but was through seven no-hit frames on 99 pitches. “I think for me, if I get through three or four innings, it creeps in the back and you try and not think about it at all,” Buehler said after the Dodgers’ 9-3 win.
“Then you get through five or six, I think that’s when it kind of clicks in. Got through the seventh and felt good. Still felt like I had some gas left in the tank, but two good pieces of hitting and we’re out of there.”
David Peralta led off the eighth inning with a bloop single into center field, and Buehler was removed after allowing a one-out base hit that got by a diving Gavin Lux. He walked off the field to a standing ovation from a significantly pro-Dodgers crowd at Chase Field.
Buehler raised his right hand to acknowledge the fans before heading down the dugout steps. “There’s a lot of pride in our fanbase and how they support us and travel,” he said. “It feels like a home game here a lot of times, and they were definitely loud.
“It was a cool moment for me.”
Although it wound up being a moot point because of the two hits in the eighth inning, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed he planned to give Buehler every bit of an opportunity to complete the no-hitter despite the high pitch count.
“Man, I wanted that no-hitter. Everyone wanted it,” Roberts said. “I think the fastball velocity was his best in quite some time, working it to all quadrants. The cutter was really good, mixed in a few changeups, the curveball was sharp. He was just on point.
“It was just electric all night long. … The pitch count is one thing, but I think when you peel back a layer, it’s stress of innings. There wasn’t any stress and he was repeating his delivery. He was locating and the stuff held, so I was going to see it through. I wanted it for him.”
Buehler ties Dodgers record
In earning the win, Buehler extended his unbeaten streak to 23 consecutive starts, which is tied with Kirby Higbe for the longest such stretch in Dodgers franchise history. Buehler’s streak stands at 30 outings when factoring in the postseason.
Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias previously shared the L.A. franchise record by going 21 consecutive starts without being tabbed with a loss.
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