LOS ANGELES – Diamondbacks right-hander Taijuan Walker’s game plan was straightforward, an idea he said was hatched in a pregame sit-down with catcher Chris Iannetta. Walker’s best pitch is his fastball, and if the Los Angeles Dodgers were going to beat him on Sunday, they were going to have to hit it.
When he found himself in his first jam of the day – a bases-loaded, two-out situation in the opening inning – Walker did not stray from the plan. Instead, he fed Joc Pederson four consecutive fastballs, the last one clocked at 94 mph, a pitch Pederson swung through, and Walker screamed into his glove as he walked off the mound.