Walker Buehler Impressive In Dodgers Debut Against Colorado

Walker Buehler made his Dodger debut last night against the Colorado Rockies.

The former first round pick came into the ballgame as a reliever in the beginning of the 8th inning, and certainly did not disappoint. In fact, his performance might have been one of the only bright spots during this seven game losing streak. Buehler went two shutout innings, while giving up just one hit and sticking out two!

That's a scoreless eighth for @buehlersdayoff in his @MLB debut. ? #LetsGoDodgers pic.twitter.com/GmQy9Ns7qr

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 8, 2017

Dave Roberts calls the rookie “uber-competitive,” and he definitely held his own against the ruthless opposing batters that craved more hits till the game was over.

Buehler is such a competitor because of his will to battle against any obstacle. Tommy John surgery almost derailed his hopes of having an immediate impact in the minors after being drafted 24th overall in 2015. However, Buehler fully recovered and unexpectedly made his way back to the mound months ahead of schedule.

He’s been on a roll ever since, and put a great year together while playing for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Tulsa City Drillers, and Oklahoma City Dodgers in 2017. The rookie finished 3-3, and tallied 125 K’s compared to 31 walks. That’s amazing, and something about last night’s game shows why he’s special.

First year players usually stumble while adrenaline is pumping throughout their veins in their first game, but that wasn’t the case last night.

Buehler’s second pitch reached a staggering 100 mph and he was able to command the strike zone against the Colorado lineup. His intelligence and athleticism flashed before peoples’ eyes when he converted his first double play opportunity at first base. The curveball and slider simply looked great. He even recorded his first big league strikeout against Charlie Blackmon, who currently leads the National League in batting average!

Walker Buehler: “My Triple-A debut was a disaster, so I was trying to avoid that … Luckily, in the big one, I did well."

— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) September 8, 2017

The Dodgers bullpen has endured many struggles as of late, and every appearance is a tryout. Don’t be surprised to see Walker Buehler on the postseason roster if he continues to shine like this in September. Andrew Friedman (President of Baseball Operations ) did the same thing with David Price in Tampa Bay, and Dave Roberts will play the best players available no mater what.

Time will tell, but it’ll be interesting to see if another rookie can provide a spark for the Dodgers this season.