Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen nearly combined to make MLB history against the Colorado Rockies on May 27.
The two-way star threw six no-hit innings before he was removed from his start with the Dodgers holding a 3-1 lead. The Rockies manufactured their only run in the top of the fourth inning with a pair of groundouts after the first two batters reached via walk and a hit by pitch.
Will Klein kept the Dodgers’ combined no-hitter intact with a scoreless seventh inning. Tanner Scott then took the mound in the eighth and recorded the first two outs before allowing a single to Tyler Freeman.
It wound up being the Rockies’ only hit as Scott retired the next hitter before Kyle Hurt recorded a perfect ninth inning en route to his first career Major League save.
“The bullpen has been consistent and done a great job all year,” Ohtani said of the Dodgers’ relief corps through interpreter Will Ireton. “I think we’re setting a tone to where as long as we have the lead by the seventh, we can hand the baton and win the game.
“In that sense, really the only job for us to do is make sure we have the lead in the seventh offensively and as the starting pitcher.”
The Dodgers bullpen has again been a strength this season as they currently rank fourth in FanGraphs’ WAR (2.8) behind only the San Diego Padres (3.9), Milwaukee Brewers (3.0) and New York Mets (2.9).
L.A.’s relievers have collectively posted a 3.19 ERA, which is good for seventh in all of baseball. They also recently strung together the longest scoreless innings streak in Dodgers franchise history
But whereas the Dodgers heavily relied on their bullpen last season, the group has thrown the fewest innings this year at 186.1.
That can be attributed in part to the Dodgers starting rotation carrying the load, with Ohtani among those finding success. In his first full season as a pitcher since 2023, he owns a 5-2 record with a minuscule 0.82 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 10 strikeouts per nine in 55 innings across nine starts.
Shohei Ohtani made MLB history against Rockies
Ohtani lowered his ERA on the season to 0.82, which is the lowest in Dodgers franchise history through a pitcher’s first nine starts. The record previously belonged to Fernando Valenzuela, who carried a 0.91 ERA during the 1981 season.
Ohtani also hit a leadoff home run to give the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead in their win against the Rockies. It was the fourth time he led off a game with a home run this season and the 28th such instance in his career.
Ohtani’s round-tripper broke a tie with Joc Pederson for the third-most leadoff home runs in Dodgers franchise history (22), which trails only Mookie Betts (32) and Davey Lopes (28).
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