Shohei Ohtani’s first pitching appearance since Tommy John quickly had baseball fans concerned
Ohtani #Ohtani
Los Angeles Angels fans had waited nearly 700 days to see Shohei Ohtani make his return to the mound after spending the 2019 season as a designated hitter while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Sunday was supposed to be an encouraging step for Ohtani as he got back to being a star-caliber pitcher and hitter. Instead, his outing against the Athletics lasted just 30 pitches with Ohtani allowing five runs and failing to record an out.
But most worrisome of all, Ohtani’s velocity was nowhere close to the heat he brought as a rookie before Tommy John.
On Sunday, Ohtani averaged just 92.9 mph on his fastball, which could have been attributed to poor mechanics (flying open too soon in his delivery). Still, as a rookie in 2018, Ohtani looked the part in his 10 pitching appearances before the arm injury. His four-seam fastball averaged 96.7 mph in 2018 and exceeded 100 mph on multiple occasions.
He looked nothing like that pitcher on Sunday, and baseball fans were worried — even if it was just a 30-pitch sample size after a long layoff and surgery.
We’ll have to see how Ohtani looks in the next appearance before there’s real cause for concern, but this wasn’t a great start — to say the least.
Click to expand
UP NEXT
Marlins Reportedly Test Positive For Coronavirus
CBS4’s Mike Cugno reports the players who reportedly tested positive were Jose Urena, Garrett Cooper, Harold Ramirez and Jorge Alfaro.
Trump says he won’t throw out first pitch at Yankees game
President Trump tweeted Sunday that he will not throw out the first pitch at a Yankees game in August.
Belle Glade apartment fire displaces family
Two adults and two children were displaced from their Belle Glade home by a fire Sunday morning.
UP NEXT
MORE:
PGA golfer Richy Werenski wears ‘Blue Lives Matter’ wristband at tournament near Minneapolis
Pirates manager and ump calmly put on their masks before heated argument after ejection
Mike Ditka to kneeling athletes: ‘Get the hell out of the country’
Los Angeles Angels vs. Oakland Athletics Live Stream, MLB Opening Day Schedule, Pitching Lineups, TV Channel, Start Time
Alex Trebek revealed he struggled with suicidal thoughts during cancer treatment