:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63962838/usa_today_12827826.0.jpg)
Perhaps you were occupied with the 2019 MLB Draft to realize how good Walker Buehler pitched on Monday night. His performance was right there with the best in his young career.
Buehler struck out 11 and didn’t issue a walk. He also pitched eight innings and gave up just one run. Now, I grant you, that is a number of qualifications. But there were only 22 starts in LA Dodger history that had all of those qualifications.
Clayton Kershaw did this eight times and Sandy Koufax had four such games. They are the only two pitchers to have done it more than once. Buehler joined ten other Dodger pitchers with this unique game.
LA Dodger Pitchers with 11+ SO, No BB, 8+IP
| Player | Date | Opp | Rslt | AppDec | IP | H | R | BB | SO | GSc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Date | Opp | Rslt | AppDec | IP | H | R | BB | SO | GSc |
| Don Drysdale | 1959-09-09 | PHI | W 1-0 | SHO W | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 92 |
| Sandy Koufax | 1964-07-22 | HOU | W 1-0 | SHO W | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 91 |
| Sandy Koufax | 1965-05-13 | HOU | W 3-0 | SHO W | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 94 |
| Sandy Koufax | 1965-08-14 | PIT | W 1-0 | SHO(10) W | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 94 |
| Sandy Koufax | 1965-09-09 | CHC | W 1-0 | SHO W | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 101 |
| Don Sutton | 1967-06-27 | CIN | W 9-0 | SHO W | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 94 |
| Bill Singer | 1967-08-21 | ATL | W 2-0 | SHO W | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 91 |
| Bob Welch | 1981-06-07 | CHC | W 7-0 | SHO W | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 86 |
| Jerry Reuss | 1983-06-25 | HOU | W 2-1 | GS-10 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 77 |
| Tim Leary | 1988-08-21 | MON | W 4-0 | SHO W | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 87 |
| Kevin Gross | 1992-05-12 | MON | W 2-0 | SHO W | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 94 |
| Hideo Nomo | 1995-07-30 | CIN | W 5-4 | GS-8 W | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 79 |
| Ismael Valdez | 1995-08-16 | CHC | W 6-1 | CG W | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 82 |
| Hiroki Kuroda | 2008-06-06 | CHC | W 3-0 | SHO W | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 90 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2013-04-28 | MIL | W 2-0 | GS-8 W | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 86 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2014-06-18 | COL | W 8-0 | SHO W | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 102 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2014-09-24 | SFG | W 9-1 | GS-8 W | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 75 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2015-07-08 | PHI | W 5-0 | SHO W | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 84 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2015-07-18 | WSN | W 4-2 | GS-8 W | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 90 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2015-07-23 | NYM | W 3-0 | SHO W | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 92 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2016-05-01 | SDP | W 1-0 | SHO W | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 95 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2016-05-17 | LAA | W 5-1 | GS-8 W | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 81 |
| Walker Buehler | 2019-06-03 | ARI | W 3-1 | GS-8 W | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 85 |
Since 1908, Roger Clemens leads all pitchers with 11 starts that fits this criteria. Randy Johnson is next with nine and Pedro Martinez and Kershaw each have eight to finish tied for third place.
Buehler has had three different starts where he gave up five runs. Still his FIP is 3.22 which just a shade over his 3.04 FIP that he had in 2018.
Corey Seager also had a good series, he went 5-for-14 with three doubles and a home run. And Hyun-Jin Ryu did what he’s been doing recently with his seven scoreless innings start on Tuesday.
But for this series, Buehler’s dominant performance is the one that was best so for that, he gets this award.