"Kind of looked like the Walker Buehler of old" - Max Muncy excited to see All Star pitcher back in Dodgers rotation after two years
The Dodgers fans are excited after two-time All-Star pitcher Walker Buehler rejoined the team’s starting rotation after almost two years. But particularly, Max Muncy, Buehler’s teammate, was happy to see the right-hander on the pitch once again.
“Yeah, it was awesome. You know, after he got through a couple of innings, he hasn’t pitched in, you know, almost three years. He kind of looked like the Walker of old. Stuff was coming out good; it was electric. It’s just fun to have him back out there,” said Max Muncy in the Foul Territory Podcast on Tuesday.
“You know he is such a competitor. You know what you are going to get every time he goes out. Even if he does not have his best stuff, he’s going to compete out there,” added Muncy.
Buehler, who was nicknamed "Buetane,” is not just any pitcher. The 29-year-old was considered one of the most promising young pitchers in baseball. He made his debut in 2017 but gained fame in the 2018 season, where he posted an ERA of 2.62. In 2020, he had an ERA of 3.44 in eight starts and helped the Dodgers win the World Series title.
However, Buehler’s promising career was derailed by injuries. On June 10, 2022, he felt pain in his elbow while pitching against the San Francisco Giants. Later, an MRI revealed that he had a UCL tear and therefore had to go through Tommy John surgery.
This put a stop to Buehler’s career for almost two years until spring training, when he started rehabilitating in the minor leagues.
Buehler returned to the major league mound on Monday against the Miami Marlins. The Dodgers won the game 6-3.
Dodgers manager is confident about Walker Buehler
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is overjoyed with Walker Buehler's outing against the Marlins. Although Buehler allowed three runs, the maximum speed of his ball topped 97 mph. Roberts believes that Buehler will eventually get better as the season progresses.
“I really do believe this is the floor and it’s only going to get better as far as the execution, the ability to go deeper in games and things like that as he gets his legs under him,” said Roberts via LA Times.
Buehler threw 77 pitches, of which 49 were strikeouts. Buehler’s command and swing hint at a dominant return.