Shohei Ohtani has been one of the most brilliant baseball players in memory, and the first in generations to both pitch and hit at a star level.
But with the announcement late Wednesday that Ohtani won’t pitch again this season because of a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow of his pitching arm, an end of an era is rapidly approaching for his team, the Los Angeles Angels — though they’ve had little to show for it, despite Ohtani’s heroics.
Ohtani, who is eligible for free agency this off-season, left Wednesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds with one out in the second inning. The team initially said the reason was arm fatigue, but later said he was finished pitching for the rest of the year, though it could be a lot longer if he chooses to have surgery. He did not pitch for all of 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery on the same elbow, but he continued to hit.
Despite being removed from the game on Wednesday, he returned for the second half of the doubleheader as a designated hitter and was 1 for 5 with a double. Ohtani leads the majors with 44 home runs and a .664 slugging percentage. He finished his pitching season with a 10-5 record and a 3.14 E.R.A. that is among the best in the league.
