Walker Buehler made his Phillies debut Friday night and he pitched well enough to get the win as the Phillies beat Kansas City 8-2 and lowered their magic number to clinch the NL East down to three games when the Mets lost to Texas. In addition to his performance on the mound, Bryce Harper likes how Buehler fits in with the rest of the clubhouse in Philadelphia.

For Buehler, Philadelphia is a place that he has thought about at least in the back of his mind for some time now. After his tune-up outing at Lehigh Valley last week, the 31-year-old right-hander talked about being part of the Phillies.

“I’m excited to be a part of this organization. This is a place that I was really looking forward to having conversations with this offseason,” said Buehler. “It’s kind of wild how it all works out, but I’m very happy to be here.”

The feeling seemed to be the same in the clubhouse. Bryce Harper was asked about Buehler’s arrival and his first outing at Citizens Bank Park: “He fits right in. He fits into that mold of a Philadelphia baseball player. It’s just a lot of fun to be around somebody that’s won in his career, has obviously pitched in big situations, big moments deep into the postseason. Getting a guy like that in our clubhouse is huge for us.”

While Buehler was happy with his initial performance, he believes he can be even better as he continues to correct some lingering mechanical issues: “The biggest thing is trying to fit in. This rotation is deep and talented. I hope I can contribute in some way and kind of get back on my feet a little bit and hopefully capture a good month, month and a half here and help us win this thing. At the end of the day this rehab, as weird as that sounds being two years healthy, it takes time. Different voices, different cues, different training methods, all of it can kind of hopefully unlock it and certainly I think I threw the ball a little bit better, have been throwing the ball better than I was. I feel good about it.”

Buehler gave the Phillies five innings, and while his WHIP ended up on the high end at 1.600, he allowed just one earned run, which came in the top of the first inning. The outing lowered his season ERA to 5.29 and he is now 8-7 on the season after spending the earlier part of the year with the Boston Red Sox.

Buehler’s start on Friday marks the beginning of the Phillies going to a six-man rotation for the remainder of the regular season. Taijuan Walker pitches Saturday and will be followed by Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez, and Jesus Luzardo.

As for plans for Buehler to stick with the team on their postseason roster, manager Rob Thomson was non-committal. “We have to get there first and he has to be pitching well,” said Thomson.