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The Dodgers swept the Rockies this weekend at Dodger Stadium and each game was won on a walk-off home run by a Dodger rookie.
Remember when the #Dodgers were the first team in MLB history to have rookies hit walk-off homers in two straight games? That’s so yesterday. pic.twitter.com/g5K4mwlS4Y
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 24, 2019
But since we are not going to try and decide which of these three players should win the award, instead I am going with the one player who was excellent for nine innings on Friday.
Walker Buehler pitched a complete game on Friday. He struck out 16 and he did not walk a batter. Using those three items as criteria, this has now happened twenty times since 1968.
The last five times a pitcher had a complete game with 16 or more strikeouts and no walks are as follows:
- Max Scherzer - 17 strikeouts against the Mets on October 3, 2015
- Vince Velasquez - 16 strikeouts against the Padres on April 14, 2016
- Max Scherzer - 20 strikeouts against the Tigers on May 11, 2016
- Jonathan Gray - 16 strikeouts against the Padres on September 17, 2016
- Walker Buehler - 16 strikeouts against the Rockies on June 21, 2019
Walker Buehler's 16 K tonight are the most by any @Dodgers pitcher in a game in which they also issued no walks in the Modern era (since 1900). (h/t @EliasSports)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 22, 2019
15 of his 16 strikeouts were swinging, tied for the 2nd-most by any starter in a game in the last 10 seasons. pic.twitter.com/6m1bNSqK02
Buehler has pitched very well in June. He has pitched 31 innings and struck out 42 and issued just one walk. In four starts, Buehler is 3-0 with an 0.87 ERA. He should get one more start this month.