ANAHEIM, Calif. — An exhilarating start to a historic night ended in potential injury for Shohei Ohtani, who exited his outing after taking a Jose Abreu cleat to his left ankle in Sunday’s fifth inning.
Moments later, a Los Angeles Angels spokesman said Ohtani’s ankle was merely sore and that he wasn’t removed because of injury. He will be re-evaluated on Monday.
Ohtani, hitting on the same day of his start for the first time in his major league career, was left in to face Yoan Moncada with the bases loaded, two outs and Ohtani’s command seemingly wavering. Ohtani struck out Moncada in the seventh pitch of the at-bat, but Angels catcher Max Stassi failed to corral a splitter, ultimately prompting Ohtani to cover home and get clipped by Abreu as he slid in to score the third Chicago White Sox run.
Ohtani limped off the field, exiting his start with 92 pitches and paving the way for Steve Cishek to finish the top of the fifth.
It was a sour end to an exhilarating night for Ohtani, who began it by throwing a baseball 101 mph in the top of the first and hitting a baseball 115 mph in the bottom of the first. Ohtani’s 100.6 mph pitch to Adam Eaton, which helped set up his first strikeout, was the fastest-thrown pitch of any starting pitcher this season. And his home run, which carried an exit velocity of 115.2 mph, was the hardest-hit home run of the season by any player.
Ohtani officially finished 1-for-3, including a lineout to center field and a hard groundout up the middle. On the mound, he was charged with three runs (only one of them earned) on two hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings, striking out seven.
The 26-year-old right-hander was dominant through the first four innings, throwing numerous triple-digit fastballs while also showcasing a nasty splitter and a wipeout slider. He retired two of the first three batters he faced in the fifth — helped by a diving catch from right fielder Juan Lagares — but issued back-to-back walks to Adam Eaton and Abreu, then uncorked a wild pitch to lose the shutout.
Six pitches after that came the dropped third strike from Stassi, the throw to first, and Abreu coming around to score.
The Angels hope it doesn’t result in a serious injury for Ohtani, who became the first starting pitcher to bat second in a game since Jack Dunleavy in 1903.
