Los Angeles Angels report Shohei Ohtani is “fine” after leaving game after suffering foot injury in historic performance

Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels suffered a scare after the Japanese left the game after being hit on the feet on a rough play at home against the Chicago White Sox.

After the White Sox had men on second and third with two outs in the fifth inning, they pulled within 3-1 on Ohtani’s wild pitch. He struck out Yoan Moncada, but the pitch hit the ground and catcher Max Stassi made a bad throw to first to complete the out, so Adam Eaton scored from the leadoff spot and Abreu, who ran up the middle, was swept home, where Ohtani was waiting to put him out.

Abreu slammed his feet into the legs of Ohtani, who stayed down for a few seconds, but then recovered to walk to the dugoout without, apparently, suffering a serious injury.

Steve Cishek got the final out in the top of the fifth inning after relieving Ohtani, who worked four and two-thirds innings in which he allowed two hits, three runs, one clean, gave away five bases on balls and struck out seven.

The Angels reported during the ESPN broadcast that Ohtani was not relegated due to an injury issue and that the Japanese reliever felt only general soreness after his performance and would be reevaluated on Monday.

Earlier in the game, Ohtani made history in his first game as a pitcher and hitter by taking a 101-mile pitch in the top of the first inning and then hitting a 115-mile fly on the first pitch he saw in his first at-bat.

Ohtani retired the first three Chicago White Sox batters with three pitches of at least 100 miles, including a 101-miler to Adam Eaton, which was followed by a rough splitter that hit the ground to get the strikeout.

In the bottom of the first episode, Ohtani connected on the first pitch he saw from White Sox right-handed starter Dylan Case, a 97-mile chest-high straight, and sent it 475 feet down the right field line to give himself early offensive support.

Ohtani’s throw to Eaton, officially 100.6 miles, is the fastest of any pitcher this season and his home run, with an exit velocity of 115.2 miles, is also the hardest on the current schedule.

Ohtani, who had Tommy John surgery following his debut campaign, had accumulated just 53 innings and one-third of work as a pitcher since his major league debut in 2018, but Angels manager Joe Maddon decided to use him as a pitcher and hitter in 2021 and lifted several restrictions that kept him out of the lineup the day before and after his starts.

On Sunday, the Japanese became the first pitcher to bat second in the order in a game since Jack Dunleavy did it in 1903.