Any good scouting report on Walker Buehler will tell you that he’s got five pitches in his arsenal: a four-seamer, cutter, sinker, slider, and curveball. While that’s a factual way to describe what Buehler brings to the table, it might be more accurate to simply say that he brings the heat.
During the regular season, Buehler’s four-seamer averaged 96.8 m.p.h. It also had 97th percentile spin, the third-best vertical movement on any four-seamer, plus hitters managed a .102 batting average and .119 slugging percentage against it. It was nothing short of an unstoppable pitch.
In the playoffs, it’s gotten even better.
Whether it’s the adrenaline, or an increased distance from the blister issues that plagued Buehler throughout the summer, the right-hander has taken things up a notch. In his four post-season starts he’s seen a slight uptick in velocity, a slight improvement in vertical movement, and significantly more success with missing bats.
The best example of this phenomenon came in Game 6 of the NLCS when Buehler got into a bases-loaded, no-out jam, but worked all the way out of it on the strength of his fastball alone. Against Austin Riley he threw three straight 98-plus m.p.h. heaters and got him chasing at a beauty on the corner.
Then he fed Nick Markakis six consecutive fastballs, finishing with a triple-digit flourish well within the zone that the veteran simply couldn’t react to.
He even got 0-2 on the last man, Cristian Pache, with two fastballs and a cutter, before finishing the inning on a slider that the outfielder was well out in front of — leading to a groundout. The sequence was a showing of pure dominance, and the type of display we rarely see in a league where fastball rates have been dropping for years.
Buehler can overpower teams in a way that few starters are capable of, which is particularly disconcerting for the Tampa Bay Rays because they haven’t handled fastballs very well at all this year.
Sixteen Rays took at least 25 trips to the plate this season, and here’s how they did against fastballs according to Statcast’s Run Value metric:
Only Brandon Lowe, Randy Arozarena, Willy Adames, and Kevin Kiermaier, produced above-average results against heaters this season. If you want to poke holes in that quartet you could also point out that the duo of Adames and Kiemaier went 2-for-18 with 14 strikeouts against fastballs 97 m.p.h. or harder — the type they’re liable to see from Buehler.
One third of the lineup they’re likely to roll out in Game 3 (Austin Meadows, Ji-Man Choi, and Mike Zunino) had both real and expected batting averages below .200 against four-seamers. Neither Yandy Diaz nor Manuel Margot got a single extra-base hit against one.
The sample sizes here are undoubtedly small, and many of these players — like Choi and Meadows — have not had this issue prior to 2020. If we’re talking about true talent, these guys can probably do better against the hard stuff. Choi, for instance, has had a great deal of success against Gerrit Cole, which indicates that he’s not intimidated by an elite fastball.
Unfortunately for the Rays, while true talent and regression to the mean wins over the course of a full season, in a single game (or two if Buehler’s spot comes around again), how players are performing in the moment takes precedence. Right now, the Rays are rolling out a lineup that’s struggled with fastballs this year. Buehler always has one of the best in the business, and it looks especially dangerous at this moment.
That makes this a tough matchup for Tampa, and their best hopes for a breakthrough in this game belong to Arozarena — hardly a surprise considering his record-breaking October — and Lowe, who finally woke up from his post-season slumber on Wednesday night. Beyond that, they might have a lot of guys waiting on Buehler to throw anything but a fastball.
It’s not a bad strategy in theory, but in practice the Dodgers right-hander is happy to dare you beat him on his best pitch. The Braves found that out the hard way in one of the highest-leverage moments of their season. In Game 3, the Rays could learn a similar lesson.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
