For five innings, Shohei Ohtani perplexed the Phillies. The Dodgers two-way superstar, in an eventual 9-6 loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday, struck out five batters and walked one over five no-hit innings, utilizing 68 pitches to do so. So when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts approached Ohtani, as he told reporters after the game, and asked him how he was feeling, Ohtani replied, "I feel ok."

But Roberts opted to remove him from the game and turn a 4-0 lead over to the Dodgers bullpen, which promptly blew the lead. Despite the less-than-desirable outcome, the Dodgers skipper made it clear that the decision to remove Ohtani was one he had made in lockstep with the Dodgers' plan for the three-time MVP, who is pitching in his first season since 2023 after recovering from shoulder surgery in September of 2023.

"We’ve been very steadfast in every situation as far as inning for his usage—from one inning to two to three to four to five. We haven’t deviated from that," Roberts said. "So I was trying to get his pulse for going forward, where he’s at, continuing to go to the sixth inning...

"...I’m not gonna have a plan for five innings, and then he pitches well and say, ‘Hey, now you’re gonna go for six innings.’ He’s too important," Roberts continued. "And if something does happen, then that’s on me for changing it. We haven’t done that all year, so I’m not gonna do that right now."

Since Ohtani's return to the mound on June 16, the Dodgers have gradually increased his workload. Tuesday's game marked just the second time he's pitched five innings this season, and his high mark in terms of pitches is 87, a number he reached during an August 27 win over the Reds.

So while it's easy to second-guess Roberts's decision after the fact—especially given that Ohtani was working on an increasingly-rare no-hitter—it makes sense given Ohtani's typical workload this season, as well as the fact that the Dodgers are postseason-bound and will need Ohtani's talents on the mound to defend the club's 2024 World Series win.

Ohtani will next take the mound on Sept. 23 against the Diamondbacks.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dave Roberts Explains Why He Pulled Shohei Ohtani vs. Phillies Despite No-Hit Bid.

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