PHOTO: Walker Buehler shares wholesome image of daughter Finley Wren peacefully lying down
Walker Buehler is set to start for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday in Game 2 of their series against the Cincinnati Reds. Buehler hasn't quite had the season he would have hoped for, but given the amount of time he missed following Tommy John surgery, he's finding his feet very well.
Off the field, Buehler and his wife, McKenzie, welcomed a daughter in February, Finley Wren. Buehler took to Instagram to share a snap of her, which he captioned, "Gang."
To announce her birth, Buehler took to IG and shared a photo of her sleeping.
"Finley Wren Buehler has arrived! 7 lbs 2 oz and healthy as can be! Miss America 2045 in our sights! Training starts now!!"
Buehler has gone 1-1 across three starts in 2024, having thrown 13 strikeouts in 13.1 innings pitched. The Dodgers pitcher has allowed 14 hits and six runs at a 4.05 ERA, which is above his career ERA of 3.04.
Walker Buehler discusses his third start of the season
Walker Buehler made his third start of the season last Saturday, where the Dodgers picked up a 4-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The pitcher spoke to reporters after the game and addressed his ambitions to regain his form (via The Los Angeles Times):
“I think I was pretty good at one point — I’ve started Game 1 of playoff series and opening day, and things like that — and I want to be really good again. But I think I can be really good at 93-95 (mph), like I was tonight."
Buehler was attributed with his first win since 2022 and backed himself going forward:
“Do I think 100 innings [into the season], when everything is stretched out and I feel confident enough that I can really reach back a lot? Yeah, yeah, I think it’s still in there. There are just more dominoes than I kind of anticipated.”
Buehler also discussed how he has had to make a small change to his pitching style as well as his velocity:
"Traditionally I only had my toes basically on the rubber, and now my whole foot is on there,” Buehler said. “It doesn’t seem like that drastic of a change, but I’ve pitched my whole career over there, so moving probably six inches just makes everything look a little different.
“Where I used to stand, I could only do so when I was young. That’s kind of a tough pill for me to swallow, but we’ve moved on the rubber, and a lot of things kind of clicked into place. The velo wasn’t as good as it had been, but the command was good. And I think there’s enough velo in there to still be pretty good.”
It will be interesting to see if Buehler can pick up his second win of the season on Saturday when the Dodgers take on the Cincinnati Reds.