Walker Buehler's dominant start in Game 3 of the World Series proves why he's still the best big game pitcher in the business

It’s Walker Buehler’s world, and we’re all just living in it. 

There was a moment early in Game 3 on Monday night at Yankee Stadium that a raucous crowd of 49,368 loyal fans fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. 

No, it wasn’t during the pregame Fat Joe performance, but it happened shortly after Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge struck out for the seventh time in this World Series and after Giancarlo Stanton weakly grounded out to end the first inning. 

Then it happened again, and again, and again, until the crowd headed for the exits after the seventh inning, with their beloved Yankees getting shut out 4-0 (at the time), and elimination staring them smack in the face. 

For the New York faithful, this World Series was supposed to bring back the echoes of their team’s past glories, but instead, in Game 3, it became Walker Buehler’s stage and spotlight.

In a pressure-packed World Series game in hostile territory in the Bronx, most pitchers would wilt like a flower that’s been cutoff from water. But Walker Buehler isn’t most pitchers. 

When it comes to big games in the playoffs, Buehler turns into a maestro of October, and his dominance on the mound is his Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Buehler delivered yet another gem of a performance on Saturday to give the Dodgers a commanding 3-0 lead in the World Series and put his team on the edge of their eighth championship in franchise history. 

For most of the night, the sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium sat awestruck at how easily Buehler mowed down the best offense in baseball. Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts was one of them.

“Walker was fantastic,” said Roberts. “His stuff was as good as it’s been all year. This is as confident as I’ve ever seen him.”

With his confidence at an all-time high, Buehler shutout the Yankees potent offense for five innings, allowing just two hits with two walks and five strikeouts. 

The New York crowd that was encouraged to “Get on their feet,” "Get loud,” and “Scream” all night long, instead sat in an uneasy and awkward silence. When they did scream, it was at their own team. When they did get on their feet, it was to head for their subway ride home.

Buehler’s performance added another chapter to his legacy as one of the best big-game pitchers of his generation. Across his three career World Series starts, he’s never allowed more than five baserunners in any outing, setting an MLB record as the only pitcher in World Series history to have three or more starts last five or more innings, with five or less baserunners allowed. 

“This was my third World Series game and they’ve all gone similarly,”said Buehler of his success pitching in the World Series. “There’s a thing for me that whatever pride, or weight I feel, seems to come out beneficial for us.”

In those three outings, he’s given up a single run over 18 innings, a stat that cements him as one of baseball’s most clutch postseason arms. In a season that tested him more than any other, Monday night was his defining moment.

“There’s certain players that really thrive in the postseason, Walker is one of those guys,” said Roberts of Buehler. “Guys like those, you can essentially throw away the regular season and know what you’re going to get the best of them in the postseason.”

Buehler would certainly like to throw away his regular season and be remembered only for his run in the postseason. The 2024 campaign certainly wasn’t easy for Buehler. After his second Tommy John surgery, it seemed he had lost that overpowering fastball that once blew by hitters. 

Early in the season, his pitches were getting hit hard, and his once-untouchable secondary pitches looked flat. He went on the IL with a hip injury on June 18, and used the time away to get his mechanics right. A midseason trip to Cressey Sports Performance in Palm Beach, Florida, run by current New York Yankees Director of Player Health and Performance, Eric Cressey, helped get him right. It was there under the palm trees and warm weather that Buehler reinvented himself.

“He’s still Walker Buehler,” said teammate Max Muncy on why he knew Buehler would have a big game on Monday night. “He had a second TJ [Tommy John], and it takes guys a lot longer to figure out who they are after a second TJ [Tommy John].. The timing wasn’t there for a while, but his last couple games going into the postseason he looked more like himself. Some guys live for the moment, and he’s definitely one of those guys. There’s nobody I want more in a big game than Walker Buehler.”

October, as Buehler knows, has a way of awakening the best. Monday night, he wasn’t the flamethrower he once was, but he was brilliant in a different way. 

His fastball, sitting in the low-to-mid 90s, was well-placed, mixing in his curveball and sweeper to keep Yankees batters guessing. By the end of five innings, Buehler had done enough to protect a 3-0 lead, and that allowed him to attack hitters more frequently. 

“Buehler did a good job of taking a lead and really attacking and getting ahead,” said Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone. “Early on, we were making him work a little bit, and he was in and out of the zone, but once they got that lead he did a good job of attacking and grabbing the account leverage.”

The Yankees’ crowd, which was loud and boisterous during pregame introductions, Derek Jeter’s return to the mound for the ceremonial first-pitch, and when Game 1 hero Freddie Freeman stepped into the batter’s box in the first inning suddenly fell silent within seconds. 

As Freeman stepped into the box, they began chanting “F— You, Freddie!” He quickly returned the favor by sending a 93 MPH cutter into the seats in right field for an early 2-0 lead. It was Freeman’s third consecutive homer in the series, and his fifth straight World Series game with a home run dating back to the 2021 Fall Classic when he was with the Atlanta Braves. 

“I’ve been seeing the ball really well, and thankfully not missing the mistakes,” said Freeman of his success at the plate in the series. “I just wanted to get some runs for Walker so he could settle down and do what he did tonight. Walker has been pitching in big games for a long time. These lights aren’t too big for him and he came out and did a great job for us.” 

In the fourth inning, Buehler faced his biggest challenge when Giancarlo Stanton smacked a double, sparking life in the home crowd. But a diving grab by Mookie Betts, followed by a perfect throw from Teoscar Hernández to nab Stanton at the plate, kept the Yankees scoreless. 

Buehler stayed calm, sticking to his plan, knowing that he couldn’t rely on pure velocity to escape tough situations. His control was back, and the trust in his own pitches was back with it.

“I got a couple swings and misses early in the game, and it kind of reset me mentally to think I’ve got a good one going today,” said Buehler of his start. “I felt good.”

When Buehler took the mound again in the fifth, the scoreboard implored Yankee fans to “GET LOUD.” But there wasn’t much noise left in the Bronx. The pitcher who, just a few weeks ago, seemed to be at a career crossroads had shown up with his signature cool. He ended his night with a clean inning, then handed the game over to a well-rested Dodgers bullpen.

At 30, and with free agency on the horizon, Buehler’s future with the Dodgers is uncertain. He admitted before the series that the idea of leaving hadn’t hit him yet. But in what could be his final start with the team, Buehler didn’t show any signs of sentiment. Instead, he was all business, every pitch a reminder of why he’s revered as a big-game pitcher.

“If it is [my last start as a Dodger],” said Buehler before Game 3. “It’s certainly going to be me trying to win a ballgame in the World Series, more than anything sad or kind of weird in that way.”

Reflecting on this season, Buehler admitted last week, “Once I had my second surgery, I don’t think I was under any illusion that I was gonna sign a $350 million contract to be a starting pitcher for the next 10 years. So, I think I’m very happy to be a Los Angeles Dodger, and I would love to stay here for as long as they’ll have me. But I think in the past couple months, I’ve kind of built my confidence up a little bit to the point that there’ll be some teams that would want me. I feel like a major league starting pitcher, whether it’s here or elsewhere.”

Despite his regular season struggles, he’s no less valuable for it. His postseason heroics — honed through years of hard-earned resilience — could very well bring him back to the Dodgers next season. 

Whether it’s a one-year qualifying offer or a longer deal, there’s no doubt that Buehler’s performance Monday night has reestablished his place among the game’s elite.

Dodgers fans know the significance of his presence on the mound. In a year when Buehler faced injury setbacks and mechanical frustrations, his revival on the biggest stage proves that he still has magic left in his arm. It’s not every day a pitcher goes toe-to-toe with the Yankees in October and emerges untouchable, but Buehler has made a habit of it.

For Yankees fans, Game 3 was another brutal chapter in their team’s recent October struggles. For the Dodgers, it was a page out of an ongoing story — one that could soon end with a championship. 

“I think this team is just different than the way we’ve operated before. There’s this bond that’s different. We play for each other,” said Buehler. “I’ve never been on a team that covers for each other the way this team does, and I’ve also never been on a team that’s up 3-0 in the World Series.”

Buehler is hoping that he doesn’t have to pitch again in the series, and that the Dodgers are hoisting another World Series trophy to the sky before he would even need to think about taking the mound again. 

But if there is a Game 7, it’s just another chance for Buehler to show the baseball world that, when the stakes are the highest, there’s no one on earth you’d rather have with the ball.