The Los Angeles Dodgers bullied their way to a 3-0 advantage in the 2024 World Series, on the shoulders of a strong start from Walker Buehler in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium.
Buehler entered the pivotal outing with expectations to help the Dodgers maintain an upper hand over the New York Yankees. Buehler did precisely that as he turned in five shutout innings with five strikeouts, allowing just two hits.
The 30-year-old effectively utilized his four-seam fastball to largely breeze through the start. It was reminiscent of how Buehler attacked hitters before having a second Tommy John surgery.
“It’s kind of like it used to be a little bit, or a little bit closer,” Buehler said of his heater. “Got a couple of swing and miss early in the game, and that kind of resets you mentally to think, ‘Oh, I’ve got a good one going today,’ or whatever. Yeah, it felt good.”
Registering six whiffs on the fastball, Buehler kept it in the strike zone at a 65% clip. His aggressiveness worked toward what the Yankees did best for the entirety of the regular season, which was hitting fastballs.
Buehler spoke to his Game 3 start, lamenting that the success of his main offering was more to his pitch mix being the tool to maintaining the upper-hand in counts.
“I think it’s less about that pitch more than it just lets me get into some counts that you’re protecting the other stuff,” Buehler explained. “Then you can throw the bigger one with two strikes as opposed to with one strike. It just gives you a little bit more freedom.”
In three starts this postseason, Buehler is 1-1 with 11 strikeouts over 14 innings. His Game 3 start on Monday put him in rarefied air as he owns a 0.50 ERA in 18 career World Series innings.
Several differences with Buehler’s stuff are seen from a usage standpoint, but his approach has remained the same in his affinity for the big game.
What changed with Walker Buehler in October?
Following Buehler’s incredible start against the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series, he discussed how the cold weather positively affected his stuff. In that game, he logged 19 whiffs, and in Game 3 of the World Series, a feel for his entire mix was clear.
In addition to embracing chilly weather, the pressure and excitement of postseason games is something Buehler draws on.
“I think, as kind of brutal as it is to say, it takes that adrenaline and stuff to kind of really get me going mentally,” he said. “I wish I would have felt that all year. I could tell you I’m excited to pitch every single game I’ve ever gone out there, but there is something different in the playoffs.
“At least long term for me, to get through the playoffs in the way that I have, it’s really encouraging for me personally because I know it’s in there and I’ve just got to unlock it a little bit.
“But that feeling of there’s an organization relying on me today to win a playoff game, I think it’s kind of the weight that I like feeling and kind of gets me in a certain place mentally that it’s kind of hard to replicate.”
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