Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Struggling Phillies pitcher may have finally found his niche

By Lauren Amour | Last updated May 8, 2025 10:48 AM ET

On Wednesday night in Tampa, starting pitcher Taijuan Walker had perhaps the best outing he's had in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform...and it came out of the bullpen.

In relief of starter Cristopher Sanchez, who threw six innings of one-hit ball with five strikeouts, Walker fanned seven batters in just three innings. He earned his first career save en route to a Phillies' 7-0 win against the Rays.

"Unbelievable, unbelievable," manager Rob Thomson said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia's Corey Seidman. "The stuff jumped up. A lot of swing-and-miss, obviously. He pounded the zone. That was really impressive."

1st career save in the books. 7ks over 3 IP pic.twitter.com/Yw6atqYvsB
— Taijuan Walker (@tai_walker) May 8, 2025

It was somewhat emotional because Walker hasn't had the easiest tenure since signing with Philadelphia in December 2022. Before Wednesday's appearance, Walker had a 5.00 ERA across three seasons with the Phillies.

He's coming off a career-worst season in 2024, pitching to a 7.10 ERA in 83.2 innings, striking out only 58. Philadelphia also tried Walker in the bullpen last year, but it didn't yield the same results, with a 6.52 ERA in four games.

Entering this season, fans were rightfully suspicious of running it back another year with Walker in the rotation. To everyone's surprise, he was solid during his month as a starter. He held opponents to a .227 batting average and had a 2.54 ERA in six starts. However, Walker struggled with his command, walking 13 in 28.1 innings, while striking out 22.

When Ranger Suarez was reinstated from the injured list, Thomson moved Walker to the bullpen to allow room for Suarez in a five-man rotation. The club hasn't ruled out moving to a six-man rotation in the future, but Walker may have just pitched his way into a long relief role, something the Phillies have lacked this season.

Whatever the case, Walker was happy after his dominant outing in Wednesday's shutout win.

"That was fun. Body felt good, refreshed," said Walker.

Lauren Amour

Lauren Amour is a writer and editor based in the Greater Philadelphia area. She currently works as an editor and writer at Yardbarker, covering MLB and the Philadelphia Phillies.

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