After being mercilessly manhandled by their potential World Series opponents – the New York Yankees – this past weekend at Dodger Stadium, and then being thoroughly embarrassed by perennial National League West cellar dwellers – the San Diego Padres – the Dodgers, the real Dodgers, finally showed up for game-2 of their three-game series against those same Padres on Tuesday evening in front of a Petco Park crowd of 27,952 that was roughly half Dodger fans and included Dodgers Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda.

Having gone an unacceptable 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position in Monday’s series opener again San Diego, the Dodgers – the very same Dodgers – did some manhandling of their own in what would end up being a history-making combined 9-0 shutout win over the hapless Friars.

Although nearly every Dodgers player on their 25-man roster had some role in the shellacking, the hands-down player of the game was 25-year-old Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler, who put an absolute whopping on the Padres in his brilliant 6.0 innings of work in which he allowed no runs and only four hits, while walking two and striking out 11. It was the fifth time this season that the Lexington, KY native and Dodgers first-round draft pick in 2015 out of Vanderbilt University had double-digit strikeouts; more than even Dodgers ace and Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw‘s three times, and 2019 NL Cy Young award candidate Hyun-Jin Ryu‘s one.

Buehler also became one of only three Dodgers pitchers this decade to have at least five double-digit strikeout games in the same season, joining the aforementioned Kershaw and former Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke.

But wait… there’s more!

As you might expect in a blowout 9-0 game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts elected to give his bullpen (aside from Messrs. Casey Sadler and Caleb Ferguson) a much-needed rest by having a position player pitch the bottom of the ninth. But it wasn’t just any position player, it was 36-year-old / 14-year MLB veteran catcher Russell Martin, who had already logged three scoreless innings on the mound for the Dodgers and owned a perfect 0.00 ERA.

Make that four innings and a perfect 0.00 ERA.

“When you get past the surface of seeing it’s a position player out there and all the jokes, for him to throw strikes and, even in a win situation, to save Caleb from a second inning in a 9-0 game, is huge value for tomorrow and the next day,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters after the game. “For him to throw strikes – and zeros – are icing on the cake. It makes it a lot easier to laugh when he’s getting guys out.”

Not only did the veteran catcher/pitcher get guys out, but he also recorded a strikeout in the processes, getting Padres first baseman Austin Allen on a foul tipped third strike for the first out of the ninth inning.

“He’s got some spin rate,” said Buehler of Martin. “You guys should check his numbers.”

Speaking of checking things out, check this out: According to @StatsBySTATS, Martin is the first position player to pitch in a shutout win since Oct. 3, 1917, when Hall of Fame first baseman George ‘High Pockets’ Kelly pitched five shutout innings in the (New York) Giants last game of the season.

Although winning games against the NL West fourth-place San Diego Padres isn’t much of a highwater mark for the Dodgers, who are en route to their seventh consecutive division title, games against their fellow southern California division rivals are most definitely must-win games; not so much for any playoff ramifications against them, but to finish the 2019 regular season campaign with the best possible overall record, which could determine home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Play Ball!

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