For the first time in his lengthy big-league career, Walker Buehler is going to be on the other side of the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres rivalry.
Buehler did indeed pitch against the Dodgers last season, but of course, that wasn’t in a Padres uniform. Now, things are entirely different and Buehler knows this rivalry better than anyone.
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The 31-year-old began his big-league career in Los Angeles and spent seven years as a starter for the Dodgers. Last season, he bounced around between the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies before signing a one-year, $1.5 million minor-league contract with the Padres ahead of the 2026 season.
Remember, Buehler signed a one-year, $21.05M deal to go to Boston a year ago. The pay cut he took was staggering, but Buehler just wanted a chance to prove himself in San Diego and he’s done just that.
Depending on how the rest of the season goes, Buehler’s contract with the Padres could turn out to be the biggest steal of the season. This is a crucial game not only for Buehler’s legacy, but also for a San Diego team who is currently nine games back in the National League West.
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Buehler, despite being on a minor-league deal, has already started 15 games for the Padres this season. He comes into Friday’s series opener with a 4-3 record and 3.96 ERA. His 1.32 WHIP is lower than it was a year ago, but still isn’t below 1.00 like it was in 2018, 2020, or 2021.
Regardless, Buehler has looked tremendous, particularly in the month of June. He’s given up exactly one earned run in all four of his starts, each of which has gone 4.2+ innings.
Sure, Buehler hasn’t gone deeper than six innings in any of his starts this season, but the team didn’t even expect him to get to this point. Buehler’s ERA has gone down significantly from the 5.64 it was after his start on Tuesday, May 5, but now the Dodgers have a chance to put up a crooked number and ruin everything.
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Knowing he’d spent nearly every year of his career as a Dodger, it comes as no surprise that last season was Buehler’s first chance to face his former team.
That start came on Sunday, July 27, 2025, when Buehler was with the Red Sox. He managed to go just 4.2 innings, allowing a brutal five walks. Buehler managed to strike out four batters, but gave up three earned runs on four hits, including a homer, in the 104 pitches he threw. Despite all of that, the Red Sox ended up winning that game, 4-3.
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