PHOENIX — Karen Walker had never heard anyone use the word "perennial" in a speech before.
That's the running joke, anyway, between Walker Buehler's mom and the coach who helped teach him how to pitch.
It traces back to Buehler's senior year at Henry Clay High in Lexington, Ky., during a postseason banquet for the baseball team. Walker was in the crowd when Ben Shaffar, the squad's pitching coach and Buehler's mentor, stood up in front of the room to say a few words about her son.
