Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani had a no-hitter through five innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.
Manager Dave Roberts said before the game he was going to cap Ohtani’s start at five innings. He did just that, despite Ohtani having a no-hitter and sitting at just 68 pitches. He had allowed just one base runner on a first inning walk.
Left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski replaced Ohtani and lost the no-hitter to the second batter he faced. He then gave up the 4-0 lead by allowing five straight hits, including a three-run home run to give Philadelphia a 5-4 lead.
Why Did Dave Roberts Remove Shohei Ohtani From No-Hitter for Dodgers?
The Dodgers are being careful with Ohtani, who’s taking on a greater load than anyone in baseball by both pitching and hitting.
The Dodgers have dreams of going deep into October, and a healthy Ohtani is the key to making that happen. While the Dodgers love Ohtani as a pitcher, they need Ohtani as a hitter.
However, on the flip side, while Ohtani wasn’t going to go nine innings even if he still had the no-hitter, with how dominant he’s been, it would have made sense to at least allow him to start the sixth, especially considering the state of the bullpen.
The Dodgers had a 3-1 lead against the Phillies on Monday night before the bullpen allowed five runs in the eventual 6-5 loss.
Then again, hindsight is 20/20, and if Wrobleski pitched a shutdown inning, it wouldn’t have been as bad of an issue. Nevertheless, the Dodgers are now trailing a game they should be winning as they continue to falter behind a struggling bullpen.
Dodger fans could not believe Roberts’ decision to remove Ohtani from the game after five no-hit innings, and made their feelings known on social media as the LA bullpen gave up the lead:
