Shohei Ohtani had one heck of a first inning on Wednesday against Cincinnati Reds.
Shohei Ohtani injury tracker: Tracking the Angels star’s UCL tear
The Angels are floundering, and now they might be without their two-way star for a while
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
But it may have come at a cost for the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani struck out a pair of Reds batters in the top of the first inning, and then hit his league-leading 44th home run in the bottom of the first to give the Angels an early 2-0 lead over Cincinnati:
However, Ohtani’s game ended shortly thereafter. Ohtani was lifted in the middle of an at-bat in the top of the second, and the team reported that he was pulled due to “arm fatigue:”
Ohtani returned for the second game of the doubleheader, going 1-for-5 with a double as the team’s DH. Following the game, Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters that Ohtani has a tear in his UCL, and will not pitch again during the 2023 season. Complicating matters for the team is the fact that Minasian also announced that Mike Trout was headed back to the Injured List:
Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery during 2018. It is unclear if he will avoid surgery for his current UCL injury.
Ohtani pitched a complete game one-hitter against the Detroit Lions back on July 27th, but has pitched just 11.1 innings since then over the course of three starts. He lasted just four innings against the Seattle Mariners on August 3rd, striking out four and not allowing a run. That start came on six days’ rest. He then went six innings against the San Francisco Giants on August 9th, striking out five and getting the win.
Then came Wednesday’s start, where he went just 1.1 innings.
Whether this will hamper his pitching, or both aspects of his game, remains to be seen.
As this is happening, the Angels are struggling in the playoff race. Los Angeles was just 4.5 games back in the AL West as July drew to a close, but they currently sit 11 games back in the division, thanks to a 5-14 record in August. Making matters worse, the Angels are now 9.5 games back in the Wild Card chase, with both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox ahead of them.
Losing any aspect of Ohtani’s game — for any length of time — could be a fatal blow to their playoff chances.
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