The closest Dotson ever came to pitching a no-hitter was in a 1–0 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Memorial Stadium on May 18, 1983. The Orioles' lone hit and the only run of the game was Dan Ford's one-out opposite-field solo homer over the right-field fence in the eighth inning. He was also the losing pitcher in his only postseason appearance, an 11–1 defeat to the Orioles in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Comiskey Park five months later on October 7. Eddie Murray's one-out three-run homer into the right-field upper deck off Dotson in the first inning was the deciding blow.