PHILADELPHIA — Walker Buehler says he’s gotten the firsts out of his system in what has been a tumultuous first season as something other than a Los Angeles Dodger.
Buehler has pitched against the club that drafted him in 2015, that he won two world championships with, that he threw the final pitch of the 2024 World Series for. He’s occupied the visitor’s clubhouse at Dodger Stadium. He’s even gone through the drill of seeing former mates in a playoff series with Boston’s Wild Card loss.
So the Phillies right-hander is ready for whatever emotions playing his former team may bring.
“I think we’ve checked all the boxes, that there’s no more firsts,” Buehler said Friday, the day before the Phillies and Dodgers began their National League Division Series. “I think that’s big for me. And at the end of the day, this is a team game, and we’ve got a really talented team that we all feel really good about. So not necessarily about my emotions too much.”
Buehler lived a life as a Dodger. The organization saw the 31-year-old undergo Tommy John surgery twice – once in 2015, just after they made him the 24th overall pick in that year’s draft, then again in 2022, costing him nearly two years. Buehler was twice an All-Star with the Dodgers. He made five starts with a 1.80 ERA in leading them to the World Series crown in 2020, then followed a rough 2024 upon his return with a strong postseason. In 15 innings over four appearances (three starts), he went 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA, then pitched the ninth inning of Game 5 in Yankee Stadium to record the save and clinch the title.
He signed with the Boston Red Sox on a one-year deal with $21 million that didn’t work out. But before his release in late July, he faced his old mates at Fenway Park, allowing four hits and three earned runs in 4.2 innings. He didn’t pitch when the Phillies visited Chavez Ravine in September but went through the emotions. Even rooting for the Red Sox in their Wild Card loss to the Yankees was enough of an emotional drill to prepare him.
“Watching that is kind of the closest thing that I’ve got,” he said. “Obviously, I was pulling for those guys last night, and it didn’t go their way, but was really happy for them and the way they played.”
Buehler has been a nice addition for the Phillies. He signed a minor league deal on the veteran’s minimum, made a start at Triple A to retool and has pitched well in the bigs. He allowed one earned run and 10 hits in 13.2 innings, a 3-0 record and 0.66 ERA. That includes one relief appearance, which is the role he’ll fill in the postseason, formally added to the NLDS roster announced early Saturday.
He shared a clubhouse last year with not just the batters he may face this week but Shohei Ohtani, the reigning National League MVP. Ohtani was rehabbing a second Tommy John surgery that confined him to the designated hitter role last year. His recovery as a pitcher will take a significant step with Saturday’s start in Game 1.
Buehler said he’s taken some cues from Ohtani’s rehab – specifically to take swings in the batting cage to increase his range of motion and activity on his repaired elbow, thinking that Ohtani’s cross-training as a batter might be helpful.
He isn’t surprised to see Ohtani rediscovering dominant form in both domains.
“I think sometimes the best answers are the simplest: He hit 50 homers and he throws 100, so whatever kind of perspective on it, I think is a little silly,” Buehler said. “The answer is kind of very simple.”
When Buehler spoke after his last outing in the regular season, he expressed a desire to make sure that when the Phillies next celebrate something in the clubhouse, he can feel like he’s contributed to it. That’s animated his work down the stretch. He’s proved both the ability to bounce back from a rough regular season before and to modify his role for the demands of the postseason.
Regardless of who occupies the opposing dugout, he’s going to do that again.
“Last year was kind of a crazy run,” he said. “I still don’t really know how we got it done, but obviously, different year, different kind of group, and obviously we’ve been very successful here in Philadelphia in the playoffs in years past. And I’m excited to see a different way to go about it, and how other guys handle it.”
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