The greatest Sho’ in baseball will go on.
At least half of it.
Despite a torn UCL that will not allow him to pitch, Shohei Ohtani will continue to hit.
The two-way superstar might need surgery, but he was bothering Kodai Senga and Mets pitchers nonetheless Friday night.
On the heels of devastating news to the Angels, the free agent to be and the game, Ohtani was going to do what he could to help his club win.
He can no longer pitch, but he still can swing.
“He’s going to play,” general manager Perry Minasian said before the Angels’ 3-1 win over the Mets at Citi Field, “until he tells us he’s not.”
The short term is much clearer than the long term.
The Angels said they did have further information regarding the severity of the tear to Ohtani’s elbow, which could require a second Tommy John surgery.
Minasian said they are still “working on getting a second opinion” after Ohtani left a start against the Reds on Wednesday with elbow discomfort.
They offered no timeline concerning when they would know more about Ohtani, who did not speak to media.
What the Angels knew was Ohtani was going to continue to fight for a club that is 9 ½ games back of an AL wild card and continue with at least half of another historic season.
Mike Moustakas during the Mets’ loss.
Even with a hurt right elbow, Ohtani reached base in four of five plate appearances and blasted a 115.4-mph double off Senga.
The 29-year-old, who is about to enter a free agency that promises bank-breaking riches, learned of the tear between games of a doubleheader Wednesday.
He still played in the nightcap and smacked a double.
“He loves to play the game. He was adamant he wanted to DH that night — same thing this weekend,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “He wants to be out there with his teammates. He wants to be out there in front of the fans.”
Virtually no one since Babe Ruth has done what Ohtani has done.
Ohtani has established himself as one of the most feared pitchers and hitters in the game, leading the majors in home runs (44) and OPS (1.073) while posting a 3.14 ERA in 132 dominant innings.
Ohtani has dazzled particularly in his past three, All-Star seasons in a fashion unseen by modern eyes.
There is wonder if the world will ever see a season like this again if he opts for a second Tommy John surgery, which would ensure he does not pitch at least next season and would offer no certainty he could return to this level of excellence.
Mike Trout said “there’s no doubt in my mind” Ohtani can come back from the operating table successfully as a two-way player.
Among pitchers who have undergone the procedure twice, there are more cases of frustration than cases of redemption, but Nathan Eovaldi and Jameson Taillon stand out as success stories.
Buck Showalter suggested that years ago, a second such surgery could end careers, but science has progressed.
“That’s not the case anymore,” the Mets manager said. “People can come back from that. I hope he does, for baseball’s sake.”
A baseball record remains in distant reach because Ohtani is remaining in the batter’s box.
His 44 home runs in the club’s first 129 games put him on a roughly 55-homer pace.
Aaron Judge had crushed 50 through the Yankees’ first 129 games last season, in which he set the American League record.
Nevin acknowledged that a piece of baseball history could serve as extra motivation for Ohtani to keep playing.
“Knowing his personality, he’s aware of those things,” said Nevin, who watched as the Mets intentionally walked Ohtani once and pitched around him twice. “This guy’s not money-driven. He wants to play baseball. He loves to play baseball.
“Certainly he’s chasing some things this year that are within reach and special things that he can accomplish.”
His bat has put him in line for hundreds of millions of dollars regardless of the status of his elbow.
If teams believe Ohtani can recover — with or without surgery — from the tear and return as the Ohtani who has amazed the world, the payday would be as historic as the player.
“There’s some challenges I’m sure that your roster … faces because he is doing both,” Showalter said, “but I think it’s one that every manager and pitching coach and hitting coach would take on in a heartbeat.”
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