LOS ANGELES ― Ross Stripling wasn’t in the ballpark for Friday night’s game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. He was tuning in from Arizona, where he is on the Giants’ injured list rehabbing a back injury, noting the coincidences.
On April 8, 2016, Stripling made his major league debut for the Dodgers in San Francisco. Dave Roberts, then in his first year as the Dodgers’ manager, removed Stripling in the eighth inning, after the right-hander issued a walk on his 100th pitch of the game. He hadn’t allowed any hits.
Reliever Chris Hatcher then allowed a two-run home run, ending the Dodgers’ no-hit bid and tying the game, which the Dodgers lost in 10 innings. The main difference between Stripling’s performance in his debut and that of Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan on Friday night? The announced crowd of 49,074 at Dodger Stadium was cheering for Sheehan.
