The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks have a long history of being at odds with one another, and Monday’s series opener saw another incident, though it was minor in comparison to previous run-ins.
After allowing a home run to Christian Walker with two outs in the fifth inning, breaking up a no-hitter, Walker Buehler struck out Ildemaro Vargas. After hitting the inside corner with a fastball, Buehler shouted expletives in Vargas’ direction as he walked toward the dugout.
Buehler’s body language from the pitch prior — a ball low and inside — suggested he was a bit perturbed by Vargas’ reaction to it. The exchange did not escalate from there, as Vargas singled in his next at-bat without incident.
Following the Dodgers’ 3-1 win, Buehler largely described the moment as one that can happen in the heat of the moment, via SportsNet LA:
“Those things kind of happen in games. You can be feeling good and one little thing makes you mad or bugs you. I have no problem with him.”
In some sense, Vargas’ two-out base hit in the eighth inning provided Buehler with a bit of a sigh of relief. Aside from knowing the player you had words with got the better of you the next time up, without that hit Buehler may have wondered what could’ve been.
Buehler wound up allowing just the two hits while setting season highs with eight innings pitched and 11 strikeouts. Had Vargas not singled, the mistake pitch on the home run would’ve stood between Buehler and possible MLB history.
Though, the 24-year-old has demonstrated an uncanny ability to keep the bigger picture in mind even if it means sacrificing a personal accomplishment. The dominant outing nonetheless lowered Buehler’s ERA to 3.69 and improved him to 6-1. The Dodgers have won eight of his 12 starts this season.
