The jewel of the Dodgers farm system steadied himself in the center of their ballpark. Walker Buehler cradled a baseball in his right hand and tucked it inside his glove. He exhaled as he prepared to throw the first pitch of the first start of his career. Buehler went still; Dodger Stadium went silent.
On the mound, Buehler's own mother will admit, "he's not physically intimidating." He has yet to find a diet capable of hanging more than 175 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame. He loped onto the diamond before Monday's first pitch like a fawn leading the herd.