Walker Buehler, a two-time World Series champion, has joined the Philadelphia Phillies with the aim of helping the team win its first championship since 2008. Buehler signed a Minor League deal with the club on August 31 and is set to make his debut Friday night against the Kansas City Royals at Citizens Bank Park.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Buehler said Thursday about his goal of winning another World Series. After a challenging season in Boston, where he posted a 5.45 ERA over 23 appearances before being released by the Red Sox on August 29, Buehler expressed enthusiasm about joining Philadelphia. “Obviously, it didn’t work out in Boston, and I’m super excited to be here,” he said. “We had some conversations in the offseason about me potentially coming here and it didn’t finish the way we all kind of wanted it to, but this is a place I’ve always had a lot of respect for.”
Buehler’s postseason experience includes recording the final out in last year’s World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers after pitching five scoreless innings in Game 3 and securing the save in Game 5 against the Yankees. Overall, he holds a career 3.04 ERA in playoff games and has been particularly effective in World Series play with a 0.47 ERA across four outings.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson acknowledged Buehler’s track record: “He’s done it before. So, hopefully, he can do it again.” Thomson also noted that Buehler will need to perform well over the next few weeks to earn a spot on the postseason roster: “We have to get there first and he has to be pitching well,” Thomson said. “But the fact he does like the spotlight and it doesn’t bother him and he’s been there before, that’s a bonus.”
The decision to sign Buehler was made quickly following his release from Boston. Within one day, Phillies leadership—including Thomson, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, and pitching coach Caleb Cotham—reached out directly to him. “I think that was huge,” Buehler said of their call. “A lot of times, [that] process is done over the phone between an agent and one guy in the organization. So for us to have a phone call at all, and for all those guys to take time out of their day to be on it, that was huge.”
With Buehler joining as part of a six-man rotation down the stretch run of September baseball, Phillies starters such as Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo and Taijuan Walker are expected to benefit from additional rest as they prepare for potential postseason play.
Buehler emphasized his belief in Philadelphia’s roster: “The talent is immense. The culture is really good. I think you have a lot of guys pulling on the same string,” he said. He added that while not every team operates this way, he sees many players ready to do whatever it takes: “I think we have a lot of guys on this team that are very comfortable with their career and their role in terms of ‘Whatever I need to do to help us win one, I will do,’ which isn’t always the case.”
Ultimately, both sides hope that this late-season addition pays off if October brings meaningful games at Citizens Bank Park.
“At the end of the day, I think this team is talented enough to do it whether I’m good or bad,” Buehler said. “… However much I can contribute, I will.”
