“Gave Him Twice As Much Money”: Walker Buehler Hails Shohei Ohtani’s Greatness By Setting Aside His Own 4-Strikeout Performance

The Los Angeles Dodgers fans finally got what they’d been waiting for. The return of Walker Buehler to the mound. After nearly two years of grueling rehabilitation from a second Tommy John surgery, Buehler took to the field on Monday, May 06, 2024 night against the Miami Marlins. The outing itself was a victory, marking a significant milestone in Buehler’s comeback journey.

Buehler’s first pitch was a fastball which clocked in at 96 mph. This was a reassuring sign after his long absence. However, the outing was not one without hiccups. The Marlins capitalized on shaky command in the early innings, taking three runs on six hits. But Buehler battled back, striking out four and generating eight swings and misses. But the catchiest bit of his return was not his renewed pace but the fact that he kept his contributions aside and praised Shohei Ohtani. 

Walker Buehler makes a comeback and brings words of praise for Shohei Ohtani

Walker Buehler’s fastball velocity remained impressive. He averaged 96 mph and reached as high as 98 mph. Perhaps fatigue did take over in the later innings. Nevertheless, Buehler finished strong, retiring six of the last eight batters he faced. The 29-year-old RHP acknowledged his imperfections saying, “I wish it would’ve gone better… But it’s done. And I’m happy to be back.”  

Shifting his focus to continuous improvement, he added, “The ceremony of it is done. Now I can kind of focus on trying to be good and helping our team. Amid modestly addressing his first day after a long time, he even added some words about the Dodgers’ superstar, Shohei Ohtani.

As tweeted by Doug McKain, the host of DodgersNation, Buehler’s words were “He’s the best player ever. We gave him twice as much money as anyone has ever made in this game, and he keeps proving why we did that. He’s incredible.” It is no secret after all that Ohtani is “incredible” and as much as fans want him to return to the mound soon, Buehler’s comeback is great for the team.

He now joins a rotation anchored by offseason acquisitions Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The potential return of Bobby Miller from injury and the future presence of Clayton Kershaw paint a picture of a truly dominant rotation. Buehler knows the strength of his team, he shared, “We’ve always had talented rotations, but this is a little bit different… There’s just a lot of good things that come out of how much talent we have…”

How will Buehler compete for the top spot?

On one hand, Buehler may not be the immediate ace of the staff however, his eyes are set on the spot. He shared, “I don’t think right now I’m going to be the No. 1 on our team, and that’s fine with me”. However, his comments indicate a need to be dominant within the rotation. He goes on to say, would like to push myself closer to that conversation.” Now, with teammates like Ohtani, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Mookie Betts and more the competition for a top spot promises to be an exciting one for Dodgers fans.

Buehler’s return is a significant piece of the puzzle for the Los Angeles Dodgers. While there’s work to be done in terms of gaining his peak form, his resilience and talent are undeniable. With a revitalized Buehler joining an already stacked pitching staff, the Dodgers look poised for a deep playoff run, with a healthy dose of friendly competition fueling their fire.