The Los Angeles Dodgers capped the 2024 season when they roared through the playoffs and World Series. After holding off the San Diego Padres in five games in the Division Series and vanquishing the New York Mets in six, they took down the New York Yankees in five games to win the championship. While the last round against their traditional World Series rivals seemed relatively easy, the Yankees won Game 4 and had a big lead in Game 5 before the Dodgers came roaring back. Walker Buehler closed out the ninth inning to give Los Angeles the title.

Buehler clearly was a hero for the Dodgers in the World Series. He threw 6.0 scoreless innings against the Yankees, but it was his ninth inning showing that allowed the Dodgers to get over the top. He retired the Yankees in stress-free fashion, getting Anthony Volpe on a ground out to third base before striking out Austin Wells and Alex Verdugo to end the game.

The Dodgers celebrated the championship with a notable parade after the victory as well as a party well into the night after winning the title. Buehler and several of his teammates got together to discuss the accomplishment. Mookie Betts asked the pitcher how he felt when he went to the bullpen in the final game to prepare for the assignment.

Buehler credits the leadership of Clayton Kershaw

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler (21) pitches during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Imagespitcher Walker Buehler (21) pitches during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The pitcher looked to the leader of the Dodgers pitching staff for his inspiration. He knew that closing out the World Series was a major challenge, but he knew it was also something that Clayton Kershaw would have handled without hesitation.

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“For me, I honestly thought to myself, ‘what would 22 (Clayton Kershaw) do, and 22 would be out there.” Buehler explained.

Buehler has suffered through a series of injuries in recent years that have nearly derailed his career. He suffered an elbow injury in June of the 2022 season and ultimately missed the 2023 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He came back in 2024 but battled another elbow injury in spring training and right hip inflammation in June.

When he came back to pitch after the hip problem he was not close to the dominant pitcher he had been from 2018 through 2021. He had a 1-6 record in 75.1 innings of regular-season work that included 16 starts and a 5.38 earned run average. Despite those difficulties, he did much better in the NLCS against the Mets and the World Series against the Yankees.

The Dodgers were largely dependent on their bullpen throughout the second half of the season and throughout the postseason. It was somewhat ironic that Buehler, one of the team's best starters, was the pitcher that manager Dave Roberts had chosen to close out the ninth inning of the final game of the World Series.

The 30-year-old Buehler clearly handled the assignment, and the hope is that he will be able to stay healthy in the seasons to come.