Shohei Ohtani will have surgery soon on the ligament tear in his pitching elbow after the Los Angeles Angels’ two-way star was ruled out for the rest of the season Saturday due to an oblique injury.
Ohtani and the Angels, out of playoff contention, decided to wrap up his season after an MRI exam showed persistent irritation in his oblique muscles, general manager Perry Minasian said. The injury was likely to prevent Ohtani, who had already missed 11 consecutive games, from hitting effectively in the season’s final two weeks.
“We kind of had a feeling that something was coming,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “He fought it. He tried. He’s upset by it. But it just got to a point, an understanding that he just wasn’t going to be able to go again this year.”
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Ohtani now intends to have surgery on the torn elbow ligament to prepare for next season, although Minasian didn’t know whether it would be Tommy John surgery or another procedure. Although Ohtani is unlikely to pitch next season, his agent has said his client wants to be ready to play as a designated hitter in 2024 for whatever team he chooses in free agency.
Ohtani was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday. He has not played since Sept. 3 because of the oblique injury, and his season as a pitcher ended on Aug. 23 after he tore his elbow ligament during a game against Cincinnati.
The two injuries ended one of the most remarkable seasons in major league history, with two-way production that made him a favorite to win his second AL MVP award in three years and created speculation he might get a contract for $500 million or more as a free agent.
Minasian said Ohtani’s MRI revealed “a small irritation in that area, so we talked to the doctors and decided to shut it down for the season.”
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Nearly all the personal items had been removed from Ohtani’s locker and the adjoining empty stall after Friday night’s game, and that abrupt change sparked widespread speculation about its meaning for Ohtani’s future.
Minasian and Nevin said Ohtani told them he intends to be with the team for its final weeklong homestand in Anaheim following his surgery.
Even with its early end, Ohtani’s season has been spectacular. He led Japan to victory in the World Baseball Classic in March, winning the tournament’s MVP award and striking out Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out in the title game. Ohtani then set career bests for the Angels with a .304 batting average and 1.066 OPS in his best season at the plate.
The 29-year-old leads the AL with 44 homers and had 96 RBIs, eight triples and 20 stolen bases on a fourth-place Angels team that entered Saturday at 68-80, on the verge of a franchise-record eighth straight losing season. Ohtani was 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts, striking out 167 and walking 55 in 132 innings.
Orioles pick up important win
Gunnar Henderson homered and drove in three runs, Grayson Rodriguez pitched eight outstanding innings and the Orioles secured a potentially crucial tiebreaker in the AL East with an 8-0 blanking of the Tampa Bay Rays in Baltimore.
After losing the first two of this four-game set, the Orioles moved a game ahead of second-place Tampa Bay and clinched the season series against the Rays. That means if the teams finish tied for first in the division, Baltimore would win.
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Misiewicz released from hospital
Yankees reliever Anthony Misiewicz was released from Allegheny General Hospital after taking a line drive to the face, and New York placed him on the seven-day concussion injured list.
The 28-year-old was struck by a 100.6-miles-per-hour liner from Pittsburgh’s Ji Hwan Bae in the sixth inning of a 7-5 win on Friday. In addition to placing Misiewicz on the IL, the Yankees activated righthander Ian Hamilton from the 15-day IL after his recovery from a right groin injury. He has not pitched since Aug. 30.
Saturday night, Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo homer in the third, his 24th bomb of the year, New York relievers retired 15 straight batters and the Yankees beat the Pirates, 6-3, to move three games over .500 for the first time in a month.
Guardians rally past Rangers
Steven Kwan drove in Bo Naylor following Tyler Freeman’s tying single in the eighth, rallying the Guardians to a 2-1 victory over the Rangers in Cleveland — but Texas remained in the second AL wild-card position.
In Kansas City, Mo., Kyle Isbel’s bunt single highlighted a three-run seventh as the Royals beat the Astros, 10-8. But with the Rangers loss, Houston maintained a half-game lead in the AL West, despite losing its first road series since late June.
In Chicago, Eloy Jiménez and Gavin Sheets homered during a five-run first inning, and the White Sox beat Pablo López and the Twins, 7-6 — keeping Minnesota’s magic number to clinch the AL Central stuck on seven. Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli left for paternity leave after the game, as his wife Allie is expecting twin boys in the coming days.
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Schwarber, Phillies keep winning
Ranger Suarez allowed a run over six innings, while Kyle Schwarber broke an 0-for-16 skid by lining his 44th homer of the year, a three-run shot, just over the right-field wall, as the Phillies beat the Cardinals, 6-1, in St. Louis. The Phillies are now 5-0 this season against St. Louis, and will maintain at least a 2½-game lead over the Cubs for the top NL Wild Card spot.
In New York, Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a two-run homer, and four relievers combined for 5⅓ scoreless frames as the Cincinnati Reds edged the Mets, 3-2, to stay in the wild card hunt. Reds catcher Luke Maile was scratched from the lineup, one day after he was hit on the left hand by a pitch. He was expected to undergo X-rays Saturday.
In Denver, San Francisco’s playoff chances were damaged when the Colorado Rockies swept the Giants, 9-5 and 5-2, in a day-night doubleheader, taking advantage of seven walks in the opener and two errors and a pair of wild pitches in the nightcap. The Giants fell 2½ games behind Cincinnati for the last NL wild card spot, while also trailing Arizona and Miami.
Acuña sits with calf problem
Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. was not in the lineup for Saturday’s 11-5 loss at Miami because of right calf tightness. With the Braves already having clinched the NL East, Acuña could miss additional time. … Former manager Charlie Manuel suffered a stroke while undergoing a medical procedure in a Florida hospital, the Phillies announced. The 79-year-old Manuel guided Philadelphia to five straight NL East titles (2007-11), two National League pennants, and the 2008 World Series championship.
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