A Shreveport Native Could Get His First Playoff Start of the Year

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The Championship Series in both the American League & National League are underway. The Texas Rangers are up 2-0 over the Houston Astros. The Phillies took game one from the Arizona Diamondbacks. If your favorite team got eliminated and you don't know who to root for this postseason, there's a local Shreveport guy that's still dancing on and hoping to win a World Series ring.

There's Only 2 Active MLB Players Who are Listed from Shreveport, LA

With all the incredible athletes our area produces, from MMA fighters to NFL players, its kind of shocking that only two Shreveport-Bossier natives are currently in MLB. One - is Bossier native Seth Lugo (who is listed as a Shreveport native, I'm guessing due to where he was technically born) and Shreveporter Taijuan Walker who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Lugo's San Diego Padres had an up & down year and ultimately failed to make the post season. Walker, on the other hand, had a pretty good year with the Phillies. Walker finished 4th in the National League in Wins (with 15) and was looking like a Cy Young contender until some late season injury scares & fatigue slowed him down.

Could Taijuan Walker Be Slated to Start in the Championship Series?

Despite having a pretty solid year in 2023, Walker has yet to make an appearance in the 2023 post season. With the Phillies dominating both the Wild Card & Divisional rounds, there hasn't been a need to go beyond the top 3 of their rotation. However, with the expansion to a best-of-7 Championship Series, the Phillies will more than likely have to turn the ball over to a different starter in Game 4 of the series.

According to Phillies Manager Rob Thompson, there's two leading candidates to take the ball Friday night in Arizona: Taijuan Walker or Cristopher Sanchez. Neither Walker or Sanchez has pitched since September 30th.

In the regular season, Walker went 15-6 with a 4.38 ERA. Which isn't great, but some injuries and fatigue lead to an inflated ERA coming down the stretch. However, the team has a winning record with him on the bump. Conversely, Sanchez went 3-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 18 starts. The club was 8-10 when he was pitching.

How Does the Shreveport Native Perform in the Post Season?

Looking into the numbers, Walker has only made one post season appearance in his career thus far. And, sadly, it wasn't a good one. He started one time in the postseason for the Arizona Diamondbacks back in 2017. He only made it through one inning, giving up 4 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. If there is a silver lining here, he did strike out 3 to ultimately get out of the inning.

But, that was a long time ago. It was his 5th year in the league and only his 3rd as a full time starter. Since then, he has developed into a pretty good starter.

On the other side of the coin, Sanchez has never been active on a playoff roster and has never pitched in the post season. So, aside from regional bias and cheering on a 'Shreveport guy', Walker has at least be apart of a post season game and has some experience.

Also, if you've watched the Phillies at all during this playoff run, Walker has been one of the first guys off the bench to celebrate or encourage teammates during the rough moments. Whether he starts or not, he is a major part of the fiber that makes this ball club a force to be reckoned with in the post season.