Buehler a finalist for NL Rookie of Year honor
LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler is one of three finalists for the Baseball Writers' Association of America Jackie Robinson National League Rookie of the Year Award, to be presented next Monday on MLB Network at 6 p.m. ET.
Buehler was joined by fellow finalists Ronald Acuna Jr., outfielder for the Atlanta Braves, and Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto.
Buehler went 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA in 24 games (23 starts) with 151 strikeouts, 37 walks and a .193 opponents batting average. The only Dodgers rookie starters with an ERA that low were Rookies of the Year Fernando Valenzuela and Hideo Nomo.
He ranked among the best MLB starting pitchers in ERA (2.31, fifth), opponents average (.185, third), opponents OPS (.531, second), WHIP (0.92, fifth) and hits per nine innings (5.94, third).
His WHIP was the lowest for rookie pitchers with at least 20 starts since 1913. He had a 2.03 ERA in the second half and had the second-lowest opponents batting average in MLB after the All-Star break. His 0.83 WHIP at home was the best in MLB. He allowed two earned runs over his last four starts, including a one-hit shutout for 6 1/3 innings in the Game 163 division clincher over Colorado.
On May 4, he started and pitched six innings of the first combined no-hitter in Dodgers history against San Diego in Monterrey, Mexico.
Although votes must be submitted before the postseason, Buehler started the Dodgers' Game 7 win in the NL Championship Series clincher to advance to the World Series and threw seven scoreless innings in Game 3 of the World Series.
The Dodgers have produced more NL Rookies of the Year (18) than any other club, including the last two, Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger.