If you want to fully understand Dodgers starter Walker Buehler as he begins his fifth inning of work, you could do worse than this quote, which Buehler told The Athletic in early 2018, his first full season in Los Angeles.
“Listen, I’m not a big guy,” Buehler told Pedro Moura, then The Athletic’s Dodgers beat writer. “I’m 175, 180 pounds. In college, I was 152 pounds my first day on campus. Maybe there’s a little bit of, like, Napoleon syndrome going. But I don’t think I’m ever gonna be the most humble guy, and I don’t know if I’m ever gonna be the greatest teammate.
“But that’s my way of trying to bring energy, of trying to be a good teammate, trying to compete.”
I would be curious to hear what Buehler thinks of those words today. But tonight is a great example of exactly who he is. Ruthlessly competitive. Brimming with confidence. Completely unfazed by the moment. Or maybe the better way to put it: he relishes it.
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