ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani already knew he had a career-altering tear in his elbow ligament when he roped a double to right field in the fifth inning of the Los Angeles Angels’ doubleheader nightcap Wednesday.
After he hustled to second base, he was greeted by Elly De La Cruz. The 21-year-old rookie shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds jokingly poked at the smiling Ohtani, essentially asking the two-way superstar, “Are you real?”
That’s the question everyone who’s part of or follows Major League Baseball has been asking about Ohtani for the past three seasons, ever since he returned from Tommy John surgery and redefined what’s possible in this sport.
The new injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right (throwing) elbow is a merciless reminder the 29-year-old from Japan is, in fact, real: a baseball unicorn, for sure, but also an athlete challenging the limit of human potential and physiology.
Ohtani hit that limit earlier Wednesday when he abruptly left the mound after just 26 pitches in the doubleheader opener. Tests revealed a ligament tear that could require Ohtani to undergo a second Tommy John surgery, a circumstance that almost invariably worsens and shortens pitching careers.