On the day he found out he may not be returning to the mound until 2020, Shohei Ohtani put on a show at the plate.
During a 9-3 victory over the Texas Rangers, Ohtani powered the Los Angeles Angels to the win by crushing two home runs and going 4-4 just hours after finding out he would likely need Tommy John surgery to repair damage in his right elbow.
Having the surgery would likely keep Ohtani off a pitching mound until 2020, a big blow to the two-way star’s future Cy Young chances. But, if he can hit like he did last night, maybe a Triple Crown will be in his future instead.
What Tommy John surgery? 😯
(via @FoxSportsWest)pic.twitter.com/vSpNRP9YdP
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 6, 2018
OH. MY. TANI.
Shohei Ohtani simply can't be stopped! pic.twitter.com/lLkew7f5zg
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) September 6, 2018
In addition to the pair of taters and four hits overall, Ohtani ended his evening with three RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base.
Ohtani didn’t speak with the media about the injury or his big night after the game, but LA manager Mike Scioscia did.
“He’s mentally tough in any situation he’s ever in,” the manager added. “Tonight, he was a hitter. He didn’t think about what the future is and what the decision is he’s got to make for his elbow. He was out there playing baseball and hitting the ball.”
It’s still possible the Japanese star could opt for resting instead of having surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, but that seems fairly unlikely at this point.
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