The Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up their series against the Tampa Bay Rays with a 3-1 victory on Sunday, but the game was marred by an injury to star player Shohei Ohtani.
The two-time American League MVP was struck on his left forearm by a pitch in the eighth inning. Fortunately, the injury does not appear to be serious, as X-rays taken after the game showed no major issues, according to Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times.
DiGiovanna reported on X (formerly known as Twitter) that “Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani was hit on the inside of the left forearm. X-rays were negative. He should be OK.”
Ohtani was facing Rays reliever Richard Lovelady when the pitch hit him. With a 2-1 count in his favor, Ohtani was struck by a 91 MPH sinker that missed the strike zone. The 30-year-old jogged to first base, visibly grimacing and holding his left wrist in pain.
It was encouraging that Shohei Ohtani managed to remain in the game after being hit. He even scored a run during his next at-bat, thanks to Mookie Betts’ 387-foot home run, which brought Ohtani across the plate and gave the Dodgers a 3-1 lead. Ohtani ended the game with a 0-for-3 performance, a run scored, and a strikeout.
Although it appears that Ohtani has avoided a major injury, he might still miss a game or two to fully recover. If this happens, he will miss at least one game in the upcoming high-profile three-game interleague series against the Baltimore Orioles at Dodger Stadium, starting this Tuesday.
So far this season, Ohtani is batting .292 with 41 home runs and 40 stolen bases. He also holds a .368 on-base percentage and a .566 slugging percentage, resulting in a .934 OPS.
Naturally, Dodgers fans (and baseball enthusiasts) have shared their strong reactions to the concerning moment involving LA’s star player.
“It’s wild how the ball always seems to hit that one small spot that’s not padded 😭,” remarked @DrMahnoor0.
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