Walker Anthony Buehler…married longtime girlfriend McKenzie in 2021... played college ball at Vanderbilt University and was a member of the 2014 College World Series championship team…pitched against UC Irvine in the College World Series where he tossed 5.1 hitless innings with seven strikeouts to earn the win…as a freshman in 2013 he earned a spot on the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll…graduated from Henry Clay (Ky.) High School…was named a two-time Kentucky All-State and two-time All-City team member and had his jersey retired at the high school…owns the single-season strikeout record at Henry Clay HS with 98 strikeouts over 66.0 innings…hosts a charity golf tournament in Lexington, Ky., every year to benefit the Kids Cancer Alliance…drafted by the Pirates in the 14th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Henry Clay HS but did not sign…selected by the Dodgers in the first round (24th overall pick) of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft from Vanderbilt University and was signed by scout Marty Lamb.
2023
Did not play in the majority of the season after recovering from his second Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2022... Made one rehab outing with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sept. 3, spinning two perfect innings and striking out two against Round Rock.
2022
Produced a 6-3 record across 12 starts with a 4.02 ERA (29 ER/65.0 IP) before being placed on the Injured List on June 11 for the remainder of the season...Spun his first career complete game shut-out on April 25 at Arizona, striking out 10 while allowing just three hits…was his first complete game since Aug. 3, 2019 against SD 47...Was most successful on the road, posting a 4-1 record across five starts for 2.32 ERA (8 ER/31.0 IP) with 30 strikeouts against just six walks...Totaled a perfect record in May at 4-0 over six starts, striking out 28 batters and walking just nine… limited hitters to a .279 average for a 3.71 ERA (14/34.0 IP)...Was tied for second in the National League in wins (six), was one of two NL pitchers to toss a complete game shutout, and was one of five NL pitchers to pitch a complete game before being placed on the Injured List...Tabbed as the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter for the first time in his career…tossed 5.0 innings of two-run ball, allowing four hits and striking out five as he recorded his first win Notched three quality starts in 12 games…fired 5.0+ IP in 10 of his 12 starts, averaging 4.2 strikeouts a game…notched double-digit strikeouts in just one game this season on April 25 at ARI…limited righthanded hitters to a .252 average (28-for-111) and left-handed hitters to a .271 average (39-for-144)…had yet to allow a hit in bases loaded situations before being placed on the Injured List…dominated his outings vs. ARI, going 2-0 with a complete game shutout with a 1.29 ERA (2 ER/14.0 IP) with 14 strikeouts.
2021
Had a stellar year, posting a 16-4 record across 33 starts with a 2.47 ERA (57 ER/207.2 IP)…struck out 212 batters against just 52 walks and produced a 0.96 WHIP... Faired well against both lefties and righties, limiting each to a .201/.267/.329 and .198/.245/.330 slashline respectively... Ranked amongst the best in the National League in multiple categories: ERA (3rd, 2.47), wins (3rd, 16), strikeouts (7th, 212), games started (T-1, 33), innings pitched (2nd, 207.2), opponents’ average (2nd, .199), WHIP (4th, 0.97), and winning percentage (2nd, .800)... Finished the season with strong numbers across the board, leading the team in ERA (2.47), games started (33), innings pitched (207.2), WHIP (0.97), strikeouts (212), and opponents’ batting average (.199)... Finished fourth in Cy Young voting with 70 points, just behind Max Scherzer... Named to his second All-Star team as a replacement player…did not make an appearance in the Mid-Summer Classic... Earned his first All-MLB Team distinction (first-team), joining his teammates Max Scherzer (first-team), Trea Turner (second-team), Julio Urías (second-team), and Kenley Jansen (second-team)... Claimed his first NL Pitcher of the Month distinction for the month of July, after posting a perfect 3-0 record over five starts with a 1.67 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and nine walks…did not allow a home run in that span... Picked up career highs in wins (16), ERA (2.47), games (33), and innings pitched (207.2)…tossed 200+ strikeouts for the second time in his career (2019: 215)... Pitched in his fourth Postseason, going 0-2 over four starts with a 4.91 ERA (12 ER/18.1 IP)…struck out 18 batters and walked nine Was a solid performer at home, going 11-2 over 19 starts for a 2.05 ERA (28 ER/123.0 IP) with 130 strikeouts… tossed 7.0+ innings 14 times this year, including 7.2 frames Aug. 20 against the Mets…struck out double-digit batters four times, registering wins in two of those starts…faired well before the All-Star break, posting a 9-1 record over 18 games with a 2.36 ERA (30 ER/114.1 IP)…went undefeated on Saturdays, posting a perfect 5-0 mark across seven games…smashed his first career double June 2 against St. Louis, earning his first career multi-RBI games, and later collected his second double just one month later July 5 at Miami…committed just his second fielding error of his career in his start against the Padres on April 16.
2020
Went 1-0 with a 3.4 4 ERA in eight starts during the 60-game season, holding opponents to a .178 batting average with a 0.95 WHIP…struck out 42 against 11 walks in 36.2 innings... Limited to just 36.2 innings in the regular season due to two IL stints caused by blisters (Aug. 26-Sept. 2; Sept. 10-24)...Helped lead the Dodgers to their 2020 World Championship, going 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA (5 ER/25.0 IP) in five Postseason starts…limited opponents to a .196 batting average (18-for-92) with 39 strikeouts in 25.0 Postseason innings...Tossed 6.0 innings of one-run ball to pick up the win in World Series Game 3 over the Rays (Dodgers 6-2 win), striking out 10, allowing just three hits and walking one…became the first pitcher in World Series history to strike out 10 while not pitching more than 6.0 innings.
2019
Finished the season going 13-4 with a 3.24 ERA (64 ER/17 7.1 IP) in a career-high 30 starts, limiting opponents to a .223 average while posting a 1.04 WHIP ... Led the National League in winning percentage (.7 78) and complete games (2) and ranked among leaders in wins (T-6th), WHIP (6th, 1.04), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3rd, 5.81), walks per 9.0 innings (6th, 1.83), ERA (9th) and strikeouts per 9.0 innings (7th, 10.51) ... Struck out 200 batters for the first time in his career, leading Dodger pitchers with 215 strikeouts and ranking 10th in the NL in that category ... Buehler's five games with double-digit strikeouts and no walks were the most in the National League and only second to Justin Verlander (6) and Gerritt Cole (7) in the Major Leagues... according to STATS, his five such games are the most by any MLB pitcher 25 or younger in a season in the live-ball era (since 1920)...joined Pedro Martinez and Doc Gooden as the only MLB pitchers with multiple starts of 15 strikeouts and no walks in the same season (June 21 vs. Colorado and August 3 vs. San Diego)...had success against batters on both sides of the plate, holding left-handed hitters to a .218 average (74-for-339) and righties to a .226 mark (74-for-327)...was selected to his first All-Star Game after going 8-1 with a 3.46 ERA while posting a 0.99 WHIP in 17 first half starts...made two NLDS starts against the Nationals, allowing only one earned run in 12.2 innings of work, striking out 15 batters against six walks while posting a 0.87 WHIP.
2018
Finished third in the Rookie of Year voting, going 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA (40 ER /137.1 IP) in 24 games (23 starts)… struck out 151 batters against just 37 walks and limited hitters to a .193 average ... Made his first career big league start on April 23 against Miami at Dodger Stadium after being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City ... As a starter, went 8-4 with a 2.31 ERA (35 ER /136.1 IP), a .185 opponents' batting average and a 0.92 WHIP… ranked among the best starters in the big leagues (min. 125 IP) in ERA (5th), opponents' batting average (3rd), opponents' OBP (.249, 5th), opponents' SLG (.282, 2nd), opponents' OPS (.531, 2nd), WHIP (5th), hits per nine innings (5.94, 3rd) and home runs per nine innings (0.73, 9th)…also ranked among NL starters in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.08, 8th) and strikeouts per nine innings (9.90, 12th) ... Finished the season with the lowest WHIP (0.92) among rookie pitchers with 20 or more starts since 1913, and the second lowest opponents' OBP (.249), behind just Dick Hughes' .248 mark in 1967 with the Cardinals…his .185 opponents' batting average also ranked the fourth lowest, while his .531 opponents' OPS was the fifth lowest ... Was dominant in the second half of the season, going 4-3 with a 2.03 ERA (18 ER /80.0 IP) and holding opposing hitters to a .165/.242/.266 slashline, while striking out 92 batters against just 24 walks in 13 starts… among starters with 10 or more starts since the All-Star break, he finished with the second best opponent's batting average in the big leagues, while ranking among the best in WHIP (0.88, 4th), ERA (5th) and strikeouts (T-10th) ... In 13 games (12 starts) at home, he put up a 4-3 record with a 1.93 ERA (16 ER /74.2 IP) and held hitters to a .174 average…among starters with 10 or more starts at home, his 0.83 WHIP was the best in the Majors, while his ERA (1.93 ERA, 8th) and opponents' batting average (.174, 3rd) ranked among the best in the big leagues ... Pitched in Game 163 against the Rockies and recorded the win to help the Dodgers secure their sixth straight NL West Title, after allowing just one hit and striking out three over 6.2 scoreless innings ... Made four Postseason starts (0-1), posting a 3.80 ERA (10 ER /23.2 IP), while limiting opponents to a .190 average and posting a 0.85 WHIP…struck out 29 batters against only four walks ... His eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings of Game 3 of the NLCS against the Brewers were the second-most in an NLCS start by a rookie in Dodger history, trailing just Tim Belcher, who struck out 10 in Game 2 of the 1988 NLCS vs. the Mets…his 7.0 innings pitched tied Belcher (1988 Game 5) and teammate Hyun-Jin Ryu (2013 Game 3) for the third-longest LCS start by a Dodger rookie, behind Fernando Valenzuela (8.2 IP, 1981 Game 5) and Belcher (8.1 IP, 1988 Game 2) ... Became just the second rookie in MLB history to start Game 7 of an LCS (Oct. 20 at MIL), joining Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007 ALCS against Cleveland ... Started Game 3 of the World Series for the Dodgers, logging 7.0 shutout innings while allowing two hits and striking out seven batters without issuing a walk in a no-decision…became the third pitcher in World Series history to log those numbers or better in a Fall Classic contest, joining Roger Clemens (2000) and Don Larsen (1956)…Buehler is the first pitcher younger than 25 years old to accomplish the feat in any Postseason game ... Was named to Baseball America's 2018 All-Rookie Team.
2017
Saw his first big league action in just his second professional season and made eight relief appearances going 1-0 with a 7.71 ERA (8 ER/9.1 IP)...In the Majors, he struck out 12 against eight walks in 9.1 innings...held left-handed hitters to a .188 average and limited the opposition to a .182 mark with runners in scoring position...Had his contract selected from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sept. 6 and made his big league debut the next day (Sept. 7), tossing 2.0 scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts against the Rockies...Recorded his first Major League win on Sept. 21, 2017 at Philadelphia, tossing a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts in the Dodgers' 5-4 victory...Selected as the Dodgers Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year after going 3-3 with one save and posting a 3.35 ERA (33 ER/88.2 IP) in 28 combined games (19 starts) with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City...rated by MLB.com as the Dodgers' No. 1 prospect and was rated by Baseball America as the 17th best overall prospect in baseball...In the minors, held hitters to a combined .208 average, while striking out 125 batters against just 31 walks in 88.2 innings...Named Texas League Pitcher of the Week in the week ending July 2 and was selected as MiLB.com Organizational All-Star.
2016
In his first professional season, he went 1-0 and tossed a combined 5.0 scoreless innings in three games (one start) with Single-A Great Lakes and Rookie-level AZL Dodgers after recovering from elbow surgery...Collected a combined six strikeouts against three walks and did not issue a hit in all three outings.
2015
Underwent UCL reconstruction (Tommy John) surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Aug. 5.
