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LOS ANGELES — For much of the last two years, Walker Buehler has had to process an outlook on his occupation that did not compute. The Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander had to accept that, with a twice-repaired ligament in his right elbow, there would be growing pains. He would not resemble the man who, at his best, held Dodger Stadium within his palm and forced opposing hitters to bend to his will — at least not right away.
He had to teach himself that patience before preaching it to others. His first two outings back in the major leagues looked every bit like Buehler had not pitched in the big leagues in 23 months. And yet, Buehler spoke about the small victories. Against Miami, he found the velocity he was never fully certain was still there. In San Diego, he warmed up better.
Saturday night, he found another, bigger victory. For the first time in nearly two years, he secured a win in the big leagues, delivering six scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
All it took was something that resembled growth for the cocky right-hander who dazzled with his brilliance in his youth but now, at 29 and a Tommy John recipient twice over, is finally willing to try something different.
“It sucks so much,” Buehler said with a smirk. “I was telling my wife (McKenzie) that I finally have to start listening to people, not just doing whatever I want all the time. So that’s been an interesting transition for me.”
The chuckle as he said it was revealing of how much of a transition that has been. Buehler is learning his body again and what it is capable of. Yes, he is still capable of hurling fastballs that touch 98 mph. But how he gets there, and how he can survive and thrive, will require adaptation.
W. #YEESH https://t.co/qh4Stahmhf
— Walker Buehler (@buehlersdayoff) May 19, 2024
This week, it involved conferencing with pitching coaches Mark Prior, Connor McGuiness and Josh Bard in San Francisco ahead of his between-starts bullpen session. The trio wanted to alter where Buehler stood on the pitching rubber; rather than starting completely on the first-base side of the rubber, with only his toes lining the surface, they wanted to move him in. The difference, Buehler said, is “probably 6 inches” — enough to get about half of his right foot along the rubber — but marked a substantial change. The session that followed didn’t go that well, manager Dave Roberts said.
The idea did have merit. Buehler had always pitched on the edge of the rubber, with his unique delivery whipping his body around to generate torque on the pitch. Trying to do the same things post-surgery did not have the same result. He did not have the same command or finish to any of his offerings.
“I think earlier in my career, there were things physically that I just can’t do now,” Buehler admitted.
So on Saturday, he took the mound and slid his foot slightly closer to the center of the rubber. Then he looked like a version of Buehler the Dodgers can work with. He struck out seven, despite being down a tick or two of fastball velocity from where he had been in his first couple of starts. He didn’t walk anybody. Nobody reached base against him until the third inning.
Trouble didn’t find Buehler until the fifth inning, though it wasn’t of his own doing. When Reds outfielder Jake Fraley smashed a cutter toward the gap in left center, Andy Pages ranged over from center field to ensnare it. Only as Pages called for the baseball, Miguel Vargas, playing left field for the first time in the major leagues in two seasons, lurched forward and dove. The two avoided a disastrous collision, though Vargas’ glove went flying. By the time a gloveless Vargas retrieved the baseball and whirled it in, Fraley was nearly standing on third base.
Buehler wouldn’t allow him to advance any further. He challenged Jeimer Candelario with an elevated fastball, getting him to pop out in foul territory. Then he buried a sinker in on Jonathan India, inducing a harmless groundball to second base.
After the game, Freddie Freeman looked back to one of Buehler’s finest moments, navigating a bases-loaded jam against Freeman’s Atlanta Braves in the 2020 NLCS by firing fastball after fastball until they finally succumbed.
“So when Walker needs to get out of jams, you have all the trust in the world,” Freeman said.
This time, he did so a little differently. He still “bowed his neck,” Roberts said, but succeeded because of location more than flat-out dominance.
“He didn’t try to just bully guys, and he pitched, and so when you pitch and you make pitches, you get major-league hitters out,” Roberts said.
Figuring out how to do so consistently will involve Buehler learning himself. His assuredness had defined him as a prospect, turning him into one of the pre-eminent starters in the sport. He has started Opening Days, opened postseason series and flourished on the brightest stages. That, he feels, is still in there for him.
How he gets there will be different.
Buehler spoke about how well his body has acclimated to the standard five-day cycle for a starting pitcher; now he’s back with the Dodgers, who appear committed to a six- or even seven-day cycle for their starters as they look to keep the likes of Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto healthy and acclimated.
So, Buehler will adjust.
He’ll have to get used to pitching from a different spot on the pitching rubber, especially if it means he can re-create some of the same angles in his delivery that he had before.
He did so Saturday, to encouraging results.
With that, he’ll have to continue what has changed the most for him in the last 23 months.
“I kind of heard some people out, and it went better,” Buehler said, “so unfortunately I’m gonna have to keep listening to everybody.”
(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
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Courtesy : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5503933/2024/05/19/dodgers-walker-buehler-first-win/