Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling enjoyed a memorable MLB debut Friday against the San Francisco Giants, becoming the first pitcher in the modern era to toss more than five innings without allowing any hits in the first game of his career, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).
The 26-year-old righty—who previously hadn't pitched above the Double-A level—was a surprise addition to the Dodgers' starting rotation after injuries eliminated a slew of more qualified candidates.
Undeterred by his lack of experience, Stripling held the Giants hitless over 7.1 innings in Friday's game, only to be removed by manager Dave Roberts after allowing a one-out walk to Giants outfielder Angel Pagan in the eighth inning.
Though he'll undoubtedly be criticized, Roberts made a perfectly defensible move, as Stripling's pitch count sat at exactly 100, marking an uptick of 20 from his final spring training appearance.
Unfortunately for Roberts, the move quickly backfired, with the very next batter—Giants catcher Trevor Brown—hitting a two-run home run off of Dodgers reliever Chris Hatcher to tie the game at 2-2.
The Giants would eventually win 3-2 after shortstop Brandon Crawford hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning.
While he may not have gotten the victory, and he was even charged with an earned run, Stripling still had the longest no-hit bid in an MLB debut since 1967, when Red Sox pitcher Billy Rohr came up just one batter shy of accomplishing the feat, per ESPN's Buster Olney.
Rohr's no-hit bid obviously lasted longer than Stripling's, but the former ultimately allowed a hit, whereas the latter was removed from his debut with five outs remaining.
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