Walker ready for another chance

PHILADELPHIA — Taijuan Walker’s last brush with postseason baseball wasn’t the most enjoyable.

Six years later, the Phillies’ righthander is eager to get another crack on the mound in the playoffs, against the team he pitched for then. And he’s patiently waited this October to get that chance.

“Any time you get to the postseason, it’s fun,” Walker said Monday. “Obviously as competitors, I know I want to pitch. … But when you have so many talented pitchers and bullpen guys, you kind of have to wait your turn. The best thing that we could do is be on the top step, cheering everyone on.”

Walker could get that chance Friday, as the National League Championship Series shifts to Arizona. He’s among the Phillies likely to get a crack at recording outs in Game 4, along with Cristopher Sanchez. Walker might get the nod to start given his lack of familiarity with relief, but it’s likely both he and Sanchez will be needed to record outs.

It’ll be six years since Walker’s first postseason start, a loss in

Game 1 of the NLDS for Arizona at Dodger Stadium in 2017. He lasted just one inning that night, allowing four runs. The Diamondbacks, in their most recent playoff appearance before this year, were swept in three games.

“It was a long time ago, and it wasn’t great,” Walker said. “It wasn’t good. I kind of want to get another chance to redeem myself and get that bad taste out of my mouth.”

That postseason cameo coincided with a down period in Walker’s career. He had been unflinchingly reliable early in his career, making 82 starts over three seasons. But he pitched just three games in 2018 before requiring Tommy John surgery that kept him out for all but one appearance in 2019.

That’s proven to be a blip, Walker making 89 starts in the last three years and topping 150 innings each year. He threw a career-high 172.2 this season, going 15-6 with a 4.38 ERA.

The fact that it’s the Diamondbacks doesn’t add to his excitement. One of the players he’s likely to face, Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte, was acquired with him back in 2016 from Seattle.