Los Angeles Dodgers ace Walker Buehler had a night to remember against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.
The 27-year-old right-hander threw his first career complete game shutout as the Dodgers cruised to a 4-0 victory.
The victory put them at an MLB best 12-4 on the season and kept them a half-game in front of the San Francisco Giants in the NL West.
According to USA Today’s MLB insider Bob Nightengale, there was talk of removing Buehler from the game after the eighth inning.
But Buehler refused to leave the game and he told manager Dave Roberts as much.
One inning later, Buehler finished off his first career complete game shutout.
Walker Buehler to #Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after the 8th inning: ‘I’m not coming out of this game.’
One inning later, first career shutout.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 26, 2022
“I’ve Got This”
It might have been a little less dramatic, but this is almost like the time Mike Mussina yelled at Joe Torre to sit down after Torre had originally decided to remove his starter.
Of course, like last night, Mussina finished the game, but Buehler appears to have taken a page out of the Hall-of-Famer’s book.
Roberts has also been known to remove his pitchers a little early from time to time, but Buehler made sure to tell him exactly how he felt.
And it worked out in the end.
Buehler moved to 2-1 on the young season and lowered his ERA to 2.55, edging out Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly in a pitcher’s duel.
His persistence kept him in the game and allowed him to do what he set out to do, that being to finish off the shutout.
Buehler has established himself as the ace of the Dodgers’ pitching staff and is now carrying the torch in that rotation.
We’ll see if he has some more shutouts left in that arm as the season goes on.
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