American professional baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) superstar Shohei Otani (30, Los Angeles Dodgers) undergoes shoulder surgery. Otani, who had suffered a knife injury to his right elbow and had to go on a hiatus from dual sword fighting, was fortunate to have surgery on his left shoulder. Now, the focus is on whether we can see Otani playing two hits in the ‘Tokyo Series‘.
Shohei Otani. AFP Yonhap News
The Dodgers announced that Otani underwent arthroscopic surgery under the guidance of Dr. Neal Elatrace, a team member, for a torn cartilage in his left shoulder joint. Dr. Elatrace is the doctor who performed Ohtani’s surgery in the past, and has repaired the shoulders and elbows of numerous sports stars, including National Football League (NFL) Tom Brady, National Basketball Association (NBA) late Kobe Bryant, and Ryu Hyun-jin, Kim Ha-seong, and Lee Jung-hoo. there is.
Ohtani was diagnosed with a partial dislocation of his shoulder after successfully stealing second base in Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on the 27th of last month. Ohtani, who was injured, showed fighting spirit to participate in the remaining WS, saying, “I injured my left shoulder, so it doesn’t have much effect on my swing.”
Ohtani, who is a right-handed pitcher and a left-handed hitter, is actually more concerned about the condition of his right shoulder than his left shoulder. This is because I have to go back to double-hitting. In particular, MLB will announce the new season starting with the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs game at Tokyo Dome on March 18-19 next year, just as it held the opening game in Seoul this season. The Dodgers have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who showed his potential in MLB after devastating the Japanese league. The Cubs have Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki playing.
Shohei Otani. AFP Yonhap News
Ohtani is expected to first participate in spring camp to prepare for the 2025 season. This means that he will be able to appear starting from the opening game of the new season, meaning that Otani will be able to step up to the plate in front of Japanese fans. However, it remains to be seen whether he will stand on the mound. Ohtani appears to want to be a pitcher. MLB.com also said, “Ohtani plans to resume his two-hitting duties next season.”
Ohtani recorded 10 wins, 5 losses, and an average ERA of 3.14 as a pitcher in the 2023 season. After playing very well as a hitter with a batting average of 0.304, 44 home runs, and 29 stolen bases, he underwent elbow surgery. This season, he played only as a hitter and had a batting average of 0.310, 54 home runs, 130 RBIs, and 59 stolen bases. Ohtani is the first person in baseball history to achieve 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases at the same time.
Reporter Jeong Pil-jae [email protected]
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