MIAMI_No one looked happy. From his perch in the dugout, Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts shook his head and rubbed his face. Behind him, Rich Hill stalked the seed-strewn walkway, mumbling to himself and flicking his cap through the air.
In the eighth inning of a 5-0 victory over the Marlins, Roberts made a decision destined to protect Hill's health and incite his rage. He removed Hill after seven perfect innings _ no hits, no walks, no men on base _ and only 89 pitches thrown. Wary of exacerbating the blisters on Hill's left hand, Roberts forced Hill to watch from the dugout as Miami outfielder Jeff Francoeur singled in the eighth.
The decision recalled Roberts' call in the first week of the season to remove rookie Ross Stripling in the eighth inning of a no-hit bid in San Francisco. At the time, Roberts understood the magnitude of his choice. But he believed Stripling's long-term health was more important than one night of glory.
The same principle applied on Saturday. Only 23 perfect games have been thrown in the history of baseball. Sandy Koufax twirled the last one for the Dodgers on Sept. 9, 1965. Hill finished six outs shy, stopped by his own manager, not the opposition.
Unlike Stripling, Hill is not a rookie. He turned 36 this spring. But the Dodgers view him as a vital asset for October. Hill missed six weeks earlier this summer because of his blisters. The Florida humidity could not have aided their condition. Roberts chose to anger his pitcher rather than subject him to an injury risk.
The next run Hill allows as a Dodger will be his first. He spun six scoreless innings against San Francisco in his debut. He held San Diego to one hit in six innings in his next start. He topped that performance on Saturday.
Hill exited the game after the night's most dramatic moment. With two outs in the seventh, third baseman Martin Prado smashed a curveball into left field. In only his second start at the position, Yasiel Puig gave chase. He leaped for an over-the-shoulder catch that astounded for its timing and athleticism.
The catch stunned Hill. He raised his arms over his head. His face remained placid. Once he reached the dugout, he walked toward the clubhouse with Roberts. He had struck out nine in a manner that looked effortless.
The pair spent most of the top of the eighth out of sight. When he returned, Hill grabbed his glove and pulled on a jacket. Then he removed it, complaining about the humidity. He sat on the bench and waited for Roberts' decision.
Inside the bullpen, Joe Blanton stood and did the same. At last, after three outs in the eighth, Roberts turned and broke the news to Hill. Hill swore. Roberts looked miserable as the game continued. Blanton would give up a single three batters' into the inning.
The situation overshadowed the rest of Saturday's contest. The Dodgers (80-61) smacked four home runs, including a pair by Joc Pederson. Corey Seager and Justin Turner traded back-to-back shots in the sixth.
Hill looked at ease from the start. He struck out four in the first three innings, rotating between his two-seam fastball and the various, shifting angles of his curveball.
"Not many guys have the feel that he has," Clayton Kershaw said. "It's hard enough to perfect one curveball at one arm angle and one speed. He's able to mix the speeds and then mix the arm angles. Just a really confident thing to do."
The Marlins made hard contact in three at-bats in the fourth. But all three balls landed in Pederson's glove in center. Given the spacious dimensions here, Pederson never even reached the warning track.
Pederson broke the deadlock in the fifth. Up to that point, Marlins starter Tom Koehler had suppressed the Dodgers' offense. He allowed a man to reach base in all four innings, but never allowed the man to advance to second. That changed in the fifth.
Koehler tricked Pederson into chasing a 1-1 curveball that darted out of the strike zone. He decided to stick with the pitch one more time. The ball hovered over the plate. Pederson bashed it into the second deck of right field for his 21st home run of the season. The ball landed in the third-to-last row of the stands.
The Dodgers pulled away in the sixth. Howie Kendrick led off with a walk. Koehler tried to sneak a first-pitch fastball over the plate. The gambit failed. Seager ripped a two-run blast into the right-field seats. The ball landed lower than Pederson's homer, but it would soon have company.
Four pitches later, Koehler flung a 90-mph fastball aimed for the outside corner. Turner showed some opposite-field strength, providing enough power to clear the fence in right.
Pederson padded the lead with a vicious liner in the seventh. He scalded a fastball from reliever Brian Ellington for his second homer of the game. But by then, the only drama involved Hill's status.
As the seventh inning began, rookie Grant Dayton started to warm up in the Dodgers bullpen. Hill had thrown 75 pitches through six innings. After he struck out in his third at-bat, he dropped off his gear and disappeared down the tunnel to the clubhouse. He could not know it at the time, but he had only one inning left in his night.
