"Dumbest s*** I have heard" - Fans erupt over Walker Buehler’s bold stance on ABS system ahead of dominant Phillies debut

Walker Buehler made his much-awaited Philadelphia Phillies debut against the Kansas City Royals in their series opener on Friday. It was his first MLB start since the Boston Red Sox released him in late August.

The former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher was solid in the series opener, pitching five innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits with three strikeouts. While he had a strong debut with the Phillies, the All-Star pitcher had a bold take about the ABS system.

Talking about the automated system ahead of his debut on Friday, Buehler called the ABS "inaccurate," calling for a larger strike zone for veteran pitchers.

“Pitchers who have thrown for a long time deserve certain parts of home plate that others don’t,” Walker Buehler said.

The two-time World Series winners' take caught the attention of MLB fans on social media.

"Dumbest shit I’ve heard today."

"Most retarded shit I've ever heard."

"Walker Buehler said he doesn't like the ABS system because "pitchers that have pitched for a long time deserve certain parts of the plate that other guys don't get" So Taijuan Walker being in the league longer than Paul Skenes, means he should get a bigger zone? Crazy take."

"He’s scared the machines will turn him into “Walk ‘Em Buehler."

"What are "Things you say when you aren't that good anymore" for $1000, Alex?"

The Phillies signed Buehler to a minor league deal after his release from Boston and plan to use him in the rotation for the regular season.

Walker Buehler's postseason role with the Phillies remains uncertain

Walker Buehler is expected to make two more starts for the team as Phillies manager Rob Thomson is going with a six-man rotation for the remainder of the regular season.

However, with the Phillies needing four starters for the postseason, Buehler's hopes of a spot in the rotation in October look uncertain.

"We've got four guys going pretty good right now," Thomson said. "So, he's got to dominate pretty much."

While his postseason spot is uncertain, Buehler is taking the positives from his first start with the team.

“Some really positive stuff in terms of what we’ve been working on and being able to execute it in some pressure situations,” Buehler said. “I’m pretty pleased with it, to be honest.”

It'll be interesting to see if Buehler can rediscover his form in the next two starts to make a case for a spot on the postseason roster.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash