Dodgers rookie Sheehan throws 6 no-hit innings in MLB debut

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Emmet Sheehan threw six no-hit innings against the San Francisco Giants in his major-league debut Friday.

The Dodgers removed Sheehan from the game before the seventh, with his pitch count reaching 89. Mookie Betts made an incredible catch to record the final out of the 23-year-old's start.

"It was a pretty easy decision," manager Dave Roberts explained postgame about removing Sheehan, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com. "I was actually contemplating it after five innings, given his usage that he's had, but given the state of the bullpen, I was trying to squeeze another inning. To get him through the sixth inning, I thought, was huge.

"He wasn't going to finish the game. As a fan, you hope for that. But that wasn't going to happen in any universe."

Unfortunately for Sheehan, the Dodgers' bullpen wasn't able to pick him up. Brusdar Graterol allowed a hit to the first batter he faced in the seventh. The Giants would score two in the inning off Graterol before taking a 5-4 lead in the 8th inning.

The hosts tied the game in the bottom of the ninth to force extras before the Giants scored twice in the 11th to secure a 7-5 victory, their fifth in a row.

"I was just trying to go out there and make it the same game it is in Double-A, which it is. That's what everyone told me to do," Sheehan said. "To have the Dodgers fans and my family behind me here at the game, I couldn't have asked for a better debut, besides a Dodgers win."

Sheehan had his contract selected by the Dodgers on Friday to help with their depleted starting staff. The New York native was 4-1 with a 1.86 ERA in 10 Double-A starts before getting called up.