Angels Doomed After Shohei Ohtani Tears UCL, Won't Pitch For Remainder Of Season
For a moment, baseball's unicorn appears human.
Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani is reportedly done pitching for the year after suffering a torn UCL. It's bad news for Angels and baseball fans.
O.C. Register reporter Jeff Fletcher broke the news late Wednesday.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angeles. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Shohei Out For The Year On The Mound, Angels Confirm
Ohtani pitched Wednesday's Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds but exited in the second inning due to discomfort.
The Halos ruled Ohtani out with "arm fatigue" and scratched him as designated hitter for Game 2.
Imaging later confirmed that Ohtani suffered a torn UCL.
Angels general manager Perry Minasian noted Ohtani's potential for surgery (Tommy John) remains unclear. ESPN's Jeff Passan relayed the statement from Minasian.
Angels' Season Goes To H*ll
It's a tragic twist for Ohtani — known as a baseball machine for his exceptional pitching and slugging. On the mound, Ohtani ranks eighth among all aces in ERA (3.14). Ohtani currently leads MLB in home runs (44) and is fifth in RBIs (91), also batting .305.
The Angels went all in on trying to keep Ohtani by refusing to trade him at the deadline, promising an improbable run to the postseason as a final pitch.
Los Angeles has been miserable since the trade deadline and continues to slip from AL Wild Card contention.
The Angels have lost 16 of their last 21 games — far from a convincing pitch for Ohtani to stay.
The Halos will push to earn a postseason spot with Mike Trout headed back to the injured list and no longer having Ohtani on the mound. Good luck.
Tommy John surgery or not, Ohtani will draw interest from every team in baseball, carte blanche, this upcoming free agency; though a second Tommy John surgery certainly poses issues.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels throws against the Cincinnati Reds. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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