The Los Angeles Dodgers were forced to rush Emmet Sheehan to the Major Leagues this year and promoted him from Double-A Tulsa in June when their rotation became decimated with injuries.
In his MLB Debut on June 16, Sheehan faced the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium and fired six shutout innings while giving up no hits. The right-hander once again faced the Giants on Thursday, and threw 4.2 no-hit innings.
That outing made Sheehan the first pitcher in the Modern Era of MLB history with at least four innings without allowing a hit in back-to-back starts against the same opponent, per OptaStats.
“Just making good pitches, I guess,” answered Sheehan when asked what was the secret to his dominance against the Dodgers’ longtime rival.
The @Dodgers' Emmet Sheehan against the Giants:
June 16: 6.0 IP, 0 H
Tonight: 4.2 IP, 0 HHe's the only MLB pitcher in the modern era (rookie or not) to pitch 4.0+ innings and finish with no hits allowed in back-to-back starts against an opponent. pic.twitter.com/FC6UZNtmXe
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 22, 2023
Sheehan had everything working for him on Thursday as he finished with a career-high nine strikeouts.
Though, the rookie appeared to run out of stamina near the end of his start as he hit Mike Yastrzemski with two outs in the fifth inning, then walked three consecutive hitters to drive in a run.
Alex Vesia ended up taking over and struck out J.D. Davis to end the inning and limit Sheehan’s damage to one run.
“I think it’s mostly just getting ahead early and knowing when to go to those chase pitches,” Sheehan said. “I thought Will (Smith) did a great job keeping me in the zone. Getting ahead of guys is always better than not.”
Will Emmet Sheehan make Dodgers postseason roster?
With an effective night up until the fifth inning, it likely added to the Dodgers’ confidence in carrying Sheehan on their postseason roster. If he makes the team, manager Dave Roberts sees him as someone who can give them multiple innings out of the bullpen.
“I think we see him as a neutral guy that gets right, gets left out,” Roberts said. “Come in for a longer bullpen role to take down one or two times through a lineup.”
The Dodgers’ rotation is likely to include Bobby Miller, Clayton Kershaw and Lance Lynn with only three starters necessary in the National League Division Series because of multiple off days.
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