Right-hander Walker Buehler will be the starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series.
Manager Dave Roberts announced this decision before Game 2 on Saturday, following the Dodgers’ 6-3 win in the series opener, which ended with Freddie Freeman hitting a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning.
Game 3 is scheduled to take place at Yankee Stadium on Monday night. “We just love Walker in big games,” Roberts said. “The road isn’t going to faze him. It also allows him potentially to be available for a Game 7, too.”
Buehler has pitched twice for the Dodgers in the postseason this year, both times on the road. He lost in San Diego on October 8 after allowing six runs in the second inning during his five-inning outing. However, he bounced back to pitch four scoreless innings with six strikeouts against the Mets in Game 3 of the NLCS on October 16.
Buehler has been a key part of the Dodgers’ rotation when healthy over the last seven years, but the 30-year-old veteran is still working to regain full strength after having his second Tommy John surgery late in the 2022 season.
He tried to return for last year’s playoffs but wasn’t able to. He finally made it back to the Dodgers in early May, but struggled in eight starts before going back on the injured list with a hip issue.
He missed almost two months of the regular season before returning in mid-August and showed improvement in several starts toward the end of the season. However, Buehler has not consistently been at his best since returning to the majors, finishing the regular season with a record of 1-6 and a 5.38 ERA.
He is still the best choice for Roberts, who is trying to win a championship with a starting rotation hit hard by injuries.
Tyler Glasnow, a high-priced addition, was ruled out for the season in early August because of elbow fatigue after making a career-high 22 starts.
Longtime Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw didn’t return from offseason shoulder surgery until late July and only made seven starts before being sidelined by a bone spur, which eventually led to him being out for the season.
Dustin May, who played a key role in the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series win, hasn’t pitched since May 2023 due to various injuries. Tony Gonsolin, another contributor in 2020 and a 2022 All-Star, had Tommy John surgery in late 2023 and couldn’t return this season.
Gavin Stone made 25 starts this year but then had right shoulder surgery and will likely be out until 2026. Bobby Miller started the year in Los Angeles’ rotation but struggled and was sent down to the minors several times during the regular season.
World Series Game 2 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto probably isn’t at full strength either. The $325 million right-hander spent two months of the regular season out due to shoulder fatigue, and since his return in early September, he hasn’t pitched more than five innings or 79 pitches in a start.
Even Jack Flaherty, who started Game 1, felt tightness in his hamstring just before giving up Giancarlo Stanton’s huge two-run homer in the sixth inning Friday night, Roberts shared on Saturday.
The Dodgers don’t think the injury will be an issue for Flaherty moving forward. The Burbank native and recent Dodgers addition pitched well in the World Series opener, throwing 5 1/3 innings with five hits allowed and six strikeouts while facing Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.
Buehler might be playing in his final series with Los Angeles before entering free agency this winter. He has spent his whole career with the Dodgers, who picked him with the 24th overall pick in the 2015 draft.
