Shohei Ohtani’s (29-LA Angels) elbow injury has been met with an outpouring of sympathy and anger in the Japanese media. They are also pointing fingers at the Angels’ poor management for wasting his talent.
Ohtani started the first game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 24, but was pulled after throwing 26 pitches in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. After throwing five pitches to first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the first inning, his face contorted, and he signed to the dugout before walking off the mound.
The Angels initially cited “arm fatigue” as the reason for his removal, but an MRI between games one and two of the doubleheader revealed a torn medial collateral ligament (UCL)토토사이트 in his right elbow. “Ohtani is no longer pitching this season,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian announced after the game.
He will get a second opinion on the condition of his elbow and then decide whether or not to have surgery. Most pitchers with UCL tears undergo Tommy John surgery. It would be difficult for Ohtani to avoid Tommy John surgery unless he gives up pitching altogether. This will likely be his second Tommy John surgery since October 2018, his first year with the Angels.
[Photo] Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
[Photo] Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
Japanese media outlet The Digest criticized the Angels under the headline, “Angels’ Inaction Revealed Once Again by Ohtani’s Elbow Ligament Injury, Owners Guilty of Wasting Valuable Talent,” and said, “Ohtani, who has been performing superhumanly as a pitcher and hitter, was a human being, not a superhuman.
The article went on to ask, “Shoulder and elbow injuries are inevitable for pitchers, but was there a problem with the Angels’ operation? At the beginning of his career, the Angels managed to prevent overuse injuries by not allowing him to pitch the day before and the day after, but at his own request, the Angels removed that restriction in 2021. Since then, he has fully blossomed as a pitcher, but this time the laissez-faire approach has been disastrous,” and criticized the Angels for not taking into account the impact of his participation in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) the season before.
“Ohtani came into the season riding a wave of momentum after playing at full strength in the WBC. His batting aside, his pitching has been up and down since May. His sweeper, which had been an absolute powerhouse at the beginning of the season, gave up a lot of home runs and walks after May, and it was clear to everyone that he was not in good shape, with blisters and cramps on his fingers.” The media pointed to the Angels’ incompetence.
[Photo] Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
[Photo] Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and owner Art Moreno. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
The media outlet went on to say, “Ohtani’s willingness to play is the biggest reason, but the Angels also needed to make him a full-time starter in order to hold onto him when he becomes a free agent after the season. “With a rash of injuries, the pressure was on for Ohtani at the plate, as a postseason appearance and showing he can contend for a championship in the near future was an absolute requirement to re-sign him. The Angels bolstered their lineup to stay in the wild-card race through the middle of the season, but have since faded. With their postseason hopes in jeopardy, Ohtani’s elbow screamed, “If the team had been a little stronger, we might have been able to prevent this injury from happening.
The media outlet went on to say, “What made me think this was the Angels’ inaction after signing Ohtani. While they generously gave Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon huge long-term contracts, they did little to bolster their weak starting pitching. Even when they did, they had to stay under the luxury tax threshold, resulting in half-hearted seasons. They were so indifferent to rebuilding and reinforcing the organization that only when Ohtani’s free agency approached did they immediately select a large number of power college players in the draft and promote them to the major leagues one after another without sufficient development in the minors.
Finally, the outlet concluded, “Frankly, it’s hard to find a franchise that’s this flawed these days.” “During the height of the Ohtani trade speculation, it was often said that Angels owner Arte Moreno didn’t want to go down in history as the owner who let Ohtani go. But Moreno already has enough stigma attached to him. The Angels never made the postseason while having one of the best duos in major league history in Trout and Ohtani. If layers of inaction end up sending Ohtani into a second Tommy John surgery, Moreno will surely go down as one of the worst owners of all time.” /waw@osen.co.kr
[Photo] Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
[Photo] LA Angels owner Arte Moreno. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)