In his first season with the Boston Red Sox, Walker Buehler’s struggles have continued. After a negative-WAR season in 2024, he stumbled out of the gate in his new home. His win-loss percentage is back above .500, but a recent stretch of three straight losses clearly took a toll. The mental side of baseball is something few outside the clubhouse truly understand, and Buehler recently opened up about how it’s affected him.
Walker Buehler Delivers a Bold Message After Getting Much-Needed Win on June 11
The Red Sox edged the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-3, on Wednesday, June 11, behind a strong outing from Buehler. Even as a two-time World Series champion, Buehler admitted the mental battle has gotten to him. From May 25 to June 6, he dropped three straight starts — but he bounced back in a big way against Tampa Bay with arguably his best start in nearly a month.
Buehler threw 97 pitches over seven innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits while striking out seven. That’s his highest strikeout total since April 21 against the Chicago White Sox. The win improved his record to 5-4, his first victory since April 26, when he moved to 4-1.
No day off here for @buehlersdayoff #YEEEESH pic.twitter.com/9mu6SJd4FR
— NESN (@NESN) June 12, 2025
“As weird as it sounds with the career that I’ve had, there’s like a stubbornness of what I used to do,” Buehler said. “This week was kind of the first time I’ve really gone, ‘You know what? F*** this. I’m gonna do what I need to do.’”
It’s a bold message — and a sign that Buehler might be turning a corner. His losing streak began May 25, when he gave up just two earned runs in five innings against the Baltimore Orioles, a team that hasn’t exactly been red hot. From there, it only got worse. He allowed 10 hits and five earned runs in 5.2 innings against the Atlanta Braves, another team sitting well below .500. Boston dropped both games, 5-1 and 5-0, respectively.
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Lack of run support can wear on a pitcher, but that wasn’t the issue when he gave up seven runs to the New York Yankees in just two innings. Five of those runs were earned, and he was pulled after throwing 67 pitches before the third inning. After allowing five earned runs just once in his first eight starts, he did it in back-to-back games.
If the Red Sox hope to stay in the AL East race, they’ll need Buehler to be more consistent. His 5-4 record and 5.01 ERA are far from ideal. In fact, his ERA has yet to dip below 3.95 all year. With the Sox trailing the first-place Yankees by nine games, they’re still in it — but the road ahead won’t be easy.