Dodgers: Dave Roberts Explains Why Tyler Anderson Got to Chase No-Hitter
Tyler Anderson has been one of the biggest surprises of the season for the Dodgers, and maybe, in all of baseball. On Wednesday night, Anderson spun an absolute gem. Actually, it was more than a gem, it was almost a no-hitter.
The former Colorado Rockies hurler was just two outs away from a no-hitter. He struck out Mike Trout for the first out in the ninth to bring Shohei Ohtani to the plate. The modern day Babe Ruth smoked a triple and just like that, the no-hit bid was done.
After the game, manager Dave Roberts, who has a reputation for pulling pitchers from completing historic starts, including a couple of no-hitters and more recently, a Clayton Kershaw perfecto, explained why he left Anderson in the game.
“I know I’ve got this reputation as a grim reaper, but I’m a sports fan too. I wanted that just as much as Tyler and his teammates wanted it tonight.”
Anderson pitch count stood at 117 after eight innings of work, and that's when Roberts decided he was going to give Tyler the Outs Creator a shot at the no-hitter.
“Once he got through there, at a certain point he knew he had to come out and throw strikes, not walk guys. They were either going to get a hit or it was going to end pretty quickly. How we got there, there wasn’t much cost. I know his teammates wanted it. I know the fans wanted it. When I look objectively at the short, the long-term, it made sense.”
As opposed to pulling Kershaw from his perfect game bid in Minnesota earlier this year, Roberts seemed keenly aware that Anderson hasn't had serious injuries over the last few years.
Anderson fell short of the no-no, but it was still a night he won't soon forget.
