Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto was one out away from making history. The right-hander had tossed 8.2 no-hit innings at Camden Yards until Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday got ahold of an inside cutter to end Yamamoto’s no-hit bid.
Manager Dave Roberts approached the mound after Holliday’s solo homer, which would officially end Yamamoto’s electric night. The Dodgers skipper revealed what he said to the right-hander after he lost the no-hitter.
“I just told him he did a fantastic job and to tip his cap to the fans, because they were cheering for him in that ninth inning,” Roberts said to Yamamoto.
Yamamoto was one out shy of delivering the 24th no-hitter in franchise history. It would have been the Dodgers’ first no-hitter since since Walker Buehler combined with three relievers to no-hit the San Diego Padres in 2018.
Like the many Dodgers fans watching, Roberts desperately desired that Yamamoto would achieve the feat.
“I just felt he deserved the chance to get a no-hitter,” Roberts said. “I felt that the guys were feeling it for him, were pulling for him. And I wanted it bad for him.”
After Yamamoto’s exit, however, things quickly fell apart for the Dodgers on a night that went from magical to horrifying in a matter of minutes.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Reacts to Near No-Hitter, Brutal Dodgers Loss
Yamamoto recorded 26 outs for the Dodgers Saturday night, and left the game with LA leading the Orioles, 3-1. But without the right-hander on the mound, the Dodgers could not get the final out.
The right-hander reacted to the crushing 4-3 loss to the Orioles.
“Obviously, it’s really hard to swallow,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter. “But the only thing we can do is we’ve got to get together, put things together, and overcome it.”
Yamamoto’s 112th pitch of the night was his only flaw in Saturday’s game, and his performance should have given the Dodgers a win.
“I think the cutter was not necessarily that bad,” Yamamoto said. “The location wasn’t bad. His swing, he just put a good swing on it.”
While catcher Ben Rortvedt made his second start for the Dodgers, he was also apart of a dominant performance from Yamamoto. Rortvedt revealed the right-hander chose to go with the cutter.
“Two-and-one, we got in a situation where we’d pitched arm side a lot away. Trying to pitch in,” Rortvedt said. “He called cutter, and I thought it was a good pitch. He had conviction in it, and I think he hit his spot, too. (Holliday) didn’t get all of it, but he got enough to poke it out.”
The Dodgers’ melt down after Yamamoto’s exit was shocking, and Saturday’s loss was simply inexcusable. However, it appears the Dodgers ace is already looking forward as LA must put together a strong performance for the remainder of the season.
