Walker Buehler made his debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night, pitching five innings and allowing one run in an 8-2 win over the Kansas City Royals at Citizens Bank Park. Buehler gave up five hits, struck out three batters, walked one, and hit another.
“Some really positive stuff in terms of what we’ve been working on and being able to execute it in some pressure situations,” Buehler said. “I’m pretty pleased with it, to be honest.”
Phillies manager Rob Thomson added: “He gave us exactly what we needed.”
The Phillies’ offense provided significant support with 14 hits, including a two-run home run by Bryce Harper—his 26th of the season—and Harrison Bader’s fifth consecutive multihit game. Six players recorded multiple hits.
Philadelphia’s victory was its fifth straight and increased its lead in the National League East to 12 games after the New York Mets lost their seventh consecutive game. The Phillies now have a magic number of three to clinch the division.
“He fits right in; fits into that mold of being a Philadelphia baseball player,” Harper said about Buehler, who previously won two World Series titles with the Los Angeles Dodgers. “Obviously, he’s pitched in big situations, big moments, deep into the postseason. So getting a guy like that in our clubhouse is huge for us.”
Buehler is expected to make two more starts before the regular season ends as part of Philadelphia’s six-man rotation strategy. This approach gives each starting pitcher additional rest ahead of possible postseason play.
Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez are likely set for the first two playoff starts based on recent performance. Aaron Nola is also considered for a key postseason role after a strong recent outing despite inconsistency this season. Jesús Luzardo has shown dominance at times but lacks consistency compared to Sánchez and Suárez.
With only four starters typically needed for playoff series, Thomson said Buehler would need standout performances to join that group: “We’ve got four guys going pretty good right now,” Thomson said. “So, he’s got to dominate pretty much.” He added that a bullpen role remains under consideration: “Yeah, I mean that’s in the conversation,” Thomson said. “No doubt.”
Buehler was once known for his ability to get strikeouts as a starter with Los Angeles from 2018-2021 but struggled after his second Tommy John surgery in 2022 and missed all of 2023. He returned with limited success this year between stints with both Los Angeles and Boston.
Thomson explained what he looks for from relievers: “Usually, bullpen guys are swing-and-miss guys. So that’s what you want.”
In his Phillies debut, Buehler recorded 11 swings and misses—the most since June—suggesting improvement in his pitch command.
“It’s a lot easier to get swing-and-miss when you throw stuff off of the heater,” Buehler said. “So most of the year, and even last year, I struggled a lot with the fastball command. … If I can get my arm to the right slot and to move the way I want and all this baseball mumbo jumbo stuff, the feel of everything kind of comes back.
“There’s room for kind of an uptick, hopefully, but to be able to execute and make some pitches is a great first step.”
The Phillies plan to maintain their six-man rotation through season’s end so each starter gets extra rest due to scheduled off-days between outings.
Buehler addressed joining Philadelphia late in the season: “There’s some teams,” Buehler said, “that still want to grab the game by the horns and say, ‘Listen, this guy’s been really good in the playoffs, hopefully we can fix him. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, we gave him the minimum for three weeks.’”
