Anderson’s no-no bid begins with base hit, ends on Shohei triple in 9th

LOS ANGELES -- As Tyler Anderson navigated through the Angels’ lineup Wednesday night, everyone inside Dodger Stadium held their breath with every pitch. His teammates were on the top step of the dugout, knowing they were on the verge of watching history.

But on Anderson’s 123rd pitch of the night -- blowing past his previous career high of 110 -- reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani broke up the left-hander’s no-hit bid with one out in the ninth in the Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the Angels.

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That would end Anderson’s night, and he was treated to a standing ovation from the near-sellout crowd.

“Just soaking it in,” Anderson said, when asked about what was going through his mind as he walked off the mound to a standing ovation. “It felt like a really big spot in a playoff game situation. The crowd was really, really into it. You can feel the energy in situations like that and you don’t get that very often.”

Anderson’s outing got off to an unusual start as the first ball put in play was dropped by Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger in the outfield. At first, the official scorer gave Taylor Ward a single on the play; it was later changed to an error. That early in the game, however, it just seemed like a harmless scoring change that wouldn’t factor into the game. That assessment couldn’t have been more wrong.

As Anderson got deeper into the game, it became clear that he had some of his best stuff. He kept the Angels’ lineup off balance all night with his improved changeup, which he said he tinkered with to make it slower. It’s a pitch that even future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw was admiring from the dugout during a SportsNet LA segment during the game. Anderson got nine of his 13 swings-and-misses on the pitch.

“The funky timing mechanism he has, definitely him varying that helped his game,” Ward said. “And he had a great changeup. We tried to have a plan going up there, but he was able to get me personally [with the changeup.]”

Anderson said his no-hit bid started to feel real once he got through the seventh inning against the middle of the Angels’ lineup. The only factor, however, was his pitch count. Anderson had thrown 99 pitches through seven, just 11 pitches shy of tying his career high. After the seventh, Anderson and pitching coach Mark Prior talked about the lefty’s chances of finishing what he started. Anderson said he had thrown a couple of no-hitters when he "was like 12 in Little League” so he wanted to continue until he gave up a hit.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who pulled Kershaw out of a perfect game bid earlier this season and has had a few other tough calls in the past, said he had made up his mind. He was going to let Anderson see it through. Roberts added that he liked how Anderson hadn’t gone through any high-stress innings. Anderson had also benefited from two extra days of rest.

“I look at each individual situation, and I know I’ve got this reputation as the grim reaper,” Roberts laughed. “But I’m a sports fan, too, and I wanted that just as much -- I really felt I wanted that just as much as Tyler and his teammates wanted that for him.”

Just two months ago, an opportunity like this seemed so out of reach for Anderson. It was mid-March and he still didn’t have a team. Spring Training was underway and he still wasn’t on a mound. He had a few offers on the table, some of them with a guaranteed spot in the rotation.

But when the Dodgers came calling, the veteran left-hander was intrigued about what the pitching-friendly organization could help him untap. The catch, however, was that Anderson was likely going to serve as a depth piece and pitch out of the bullpen to begin the season.

Since then, Anderson has proved to be one of the most important pieces for the Dodgers. Starters Walker Buehler, Andrew Heaney and Kershaw have all been injured at some point this season, opening the door for Anderson to get an increased role.

On a roster with All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, it’s easy for Anderson to fly under the radar. After all, he wasn’t supposed to have these types of opportunities. But given the injuries they’ve had to withstand, the Dodgers simply wouldn’t be tied atop the NL West with the Padres if it wasn’t for Anderson’s breakout first half.

In front of a packed house, the quietest player on the team delivered one of the loudest performances of the season, and of his career.

“This is the Dodgers. It’s Dodger Stadium. It’s the Freeway Series. It’s [Mike] Trout, Ohtani, and you’ve got Tyler Anderson here with an opportunity to take a no-hitter into the ninth inning with 50,000 people,” said Roberts. “You talk about odds, that’s a special moment.”