by Cary Osborne
As Earth approached its 60th orbit around the sun since the legendary Sandy Koufax’s perfect game, the stars began to align for Dodger starting pitching.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was one out away from a no-hitter on Saturday.
Clayton Kershaw didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning on Sunday.
The Dodgers, with Tyler Glasnow throwing seven no-hit innings, were three outs away from a combined no-hitter on Monday.
Emmet Sheehan was perfect on Tuesday through five innings against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium — 15 up, 15 down.
The son of Dodger great Eric Karros, Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros, hit a line-drive single to lead off the top of the sixth inning, ending another bid for history on the 60th anniversary of Koufax’s Sept. 9, 1965 perfect game.
Nonetheless, this was another assertion of dominance by a Dodger starting pitcher — this one by the least heralded of the group.
Sheehan’s stuff was electric on Tuesday, particularly a slider that was responsible for the third strike on eight of his nine Ks, in the Dodgers’ 7–2 win.
“Certainly they’re talented if you look at all six guys (in the starting rotation),” said manager Dave Roberts. “I do think there’s a feed off one another.”
Sheehan went seven innings, allowed three hits, one run and struck out nine against the Rockies.
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The 25-year-old right-hander allowed his lone run in the sixth inning. He struck out the side in his final inning — the seventh.
Sheehan, in 21 Major League starts, has a handful of special games.
This is his second in his last three starts in which he has gone at least seven innings and allowed three hits or fewer.
He allowed two hits and no runs with 10 strikeouts against the Reds over seven innings on Aug. 25.
Before Tommy John surgery in 2024, he threw six no-hit innings against the Giants in his Major League debut on June 16, 2023 and no-hit the Giants over 4 2/3 innings on Sept. 21, 2023.
The last four Dodger starts have been:
· Sheehan: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 9 Ks
· Glasnow: 7 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 11 Ks
• Kershaw: 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 8 Ks
· Yamamoto, 8 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 10 Ks
Opponents were 8-for-90 (.089) with 38 strikeouts against the four pitchers.
“It’s been incredible what those guys have been doing,” Sheehan said. “Yoshi’s start, and then Glass’ start and Kersh — they’ve all been unreal.”
“Seeing Glass what he did yesterday against the same lineup and trying to pick up on certain stuff, even though our arsenals are a little different, it helps a lot. Just seeing him have success was definitely big.”
On the offensive side, the Dodgers hit four home runs in the game — two by Teoscar Hernández, the 20th homer of the year from Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts’ two-run homer in the third inning.
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Betts also doubled in the game. He has a .706 slugging percentage this month. His highest slugging percentage in any month this season is .407 in March/April.
“I’m in a decent spot,” Betts said. “But I’ve got to stay out of my feelings. Got to make sure and stay present.”
Hernández hadn’t homered since Aug. 20. This was his first three-hit game since Aug. 5.
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