On Friday night, in his first career big-league start, Dodgers right-hander Ross Stripling took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Giants. In the process, Stripling tried to become the second pitcher in big-league history -- and the first since Bumpus Jones in 1892 -- to throw a no-hitter in his debut.
Alas, Stripling's efforts fell short due to an increasingly high pitch count fueled by bouts of wildness. He departed following his fourth walk, giving way to Chris Hatcher, who promptly allowed a game-tying home run to Giants catcher Trevor Brown.
Though Stripling did become the first starter since 1913 to exit without allowing a hit in more than three innings, he nonetheless didn't top Karl Spooner's franchise-best Game Score in a debut of 93. Instead, Stripling checked in at 74.
Once regarded as a top-10 prospect in the system, Stripling underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2014 that limited him to 71 innings in 2015. Injuries to the Dodgers' rotation forced them to break camp with him in the rotation -- even though he had never pitched at Triple-A. It should be noted that while Stripling is considered a back-end type due to his largely average arsenal, he did throw a no-hitter during his time at Texas A&M.
