Ex-Mustang Bruihl Joins World Series Champion Dodgers
Not only is Justin Bruihl the 20th player to come through the Cal-Poly Mustangs program and make it to the major leagues, he’s landed himself a spot in the bullpen of the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Called up to the show, he made his MLB debut August 8, pitching the final one and two-thirds innings of an 8-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. The 24-year-old rookie left-hander has clearly beaten the odds. He signed with the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent in 2018. As recently as last year, Bruihl was still pitching in Class-A baseball, three levels away from the major leagues.
Speaking of odds, even though the Dodgers still trail the San Francisco Giants for the National League West Division lead, online sportsbooks are still backing the boys in blue. In the World Series odds across the best betting sites in Canada, the Dodgers remain the favorites to repeat as champions.
A Dream Come True
As much as he’d thought about the day for years, when the chance to toe the rubber on the pitching mound at Dodger Stadium, when that day finally arrived, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Bruihl admitted he had to fight the urge to be overwhelmed by it all.
“It was pretty surreal,” Bruihl said during an appearance on the Dodgers pregame show. “I’m still trying to process it all a little bit.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous but once I got that first batter out, things started to settle for me and I calmed down a little bit. It was pretty awesome. “It’s something I’ve dreamt of my whole life obviously. But it was pretty much everything I’ve wished it would be.”
He worked 1.2 innings of scoreless, hitless baseball during that first appearance. Bruihl struck out two while walking one.
“Definitely a little bit shocking,” Bruihl admitted of getting the call to the show. “I wouldn’t say I didn’t expect it. This was my goal to start the year. I wanted to make it to the big leagues this year.
“It’s a little bit surprising but I felt like I was ready for it.”
Facing six batters, Bruihl threw 23 pitches, 15 for strikes.
“I know I throw a lot of strikes and that helps,” Bruihl said. “Walks hurt everybody. My ability to get ahead and try to force weak contact and throw strikes for the most part are keys for me.”
Taking The Long Way Home
Bruihl was 1-3 with a 5.46 ERA during his one season at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2016. He’s traveled quite a baseball odyssey since leaving the Mustangs program.
“I was at Santa Rosa Junior College and was having a decent year (in 2017),” Bruihl explained. “I was committed to UC-Berkeley. I planned to transfer there in 2018. I had a good year in 2017 in JuCo. Probably should’ve got drafted but the way things worked out, I kind of wanted to go to school at UC-Berkeley.
However, a coaching change at Cal also changed Bruihl’s plans.
“The head coach there (David Esquer) took the job at Stanford,” Bruihl said. “That threw me for a loop and I didn’t want to go to school anymore. The Dodgers reached out and offered me a free agent contract and I signed.”
In the prospect-laden Dodgers system, Bruihl found himself as a guy who had plenty to prove.
“It was pretty up and down,” he said of his minor-league career. “Since I got here, I was never a really high prospect. I kind of had to really make my own path to get here.
“I didn’t pitch above high-A until this year. I started in Double-A this year. It’s been pretty hard but I’ve kind of put things together the last couple of years getting to where I need to be.”
This season, Bruihl was 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA in eight appearances at Double-A Tulsa. Moving up to Triple-A Oklahoma City, the southpaw was 3-0 with a 3.57 ERA in 18 appearances.
Solid Big League Showing
Through his first six appearances in the big leagues, Bruihl has posted a 2.84 ERA. Two of his six appearances have come as an opener for a bullpen game.
“My cutter and my slider, the same things that have worked for me all year,” Bruihl lists as his key to stellar work so far. “My cutter and my slider play off each other really well. They look a lot like the same pitch a lot of the time coming out of my hand. I think that helps. Hitters guess a lot. Mixing in my sinker every once in a while just to run something back over the plate a little bit kind of surprises guys.
“When I got here, all the coaches we’re telling me to keep doing that. It’s what’s made me successful since I got here.”
