Walker Buehler made his spring training debut on Sunday, and while he may be wearing a different uniform, his performance felt familiar.
The 30-year-old right-hander joined the Boston Red Sox this offseason on a one-year, $21.05 million contract after spending the first eight years of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Making his first appearance for Boston, Buehler looked comfortable on the mound.
Facing the New York Mets, he pitched two innings and dominated. In the first, he gave up a leadoff double to Jeff McNeil but followed up with a groundout from Francisco Alvarez and back-to-back strikeouts of Jesse Winker and Alexander Canario, both on three pitches. He also hit Jose Siri with his first pitch.
Buehler was even sharper in the second inning, striking out Brett Baty looking, inducing a groundout from Jared Young, and then striking out Jose Azocar. He finished with two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four.
It’s an encouraging sign for the Red Sox, who are counting on Buehler after a tough return from Tommy John surgery last season. In 16 regular-season starts, he went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP, striking out 64 and walking 28 over 75 1/3 innings. However, he improved in the postseason, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in four appearances, striking out 13 and walking five over 15 innings. He even secured the save in Game 5 of the World Series as the Dodgers clinched the title against the Yankees.
Despite the one-year deal, Boston made a significant financial commitment to Buehler as part of their revamped rotation, which now includes Garrett Crochet. They need him to bounce back, and his debut was a promising start.