Ohtani is a player at the crossroads of surgery

 Ohtani is a player at the crossroads of surgery and he succeeded in making another ML legendary record

I wonder if he is really a player at the crossroads of surgery. LA Angels' "baseball genius" Shohei Otani (29) held a milestone in his arms despite the crisis of surgery.

Otani started as the second designated hitter in a visit game against the Oakland Athletics in the 2023 Major League Baseball at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California, on the 4th (Korea Standard Time).

On the same day, the Angels set up starting pitchers Luis Renhipo (right fielder), Otani Shohei (nominated hitter), Brandon Drury (first baseman), Randall Grichick (left fielder), Eduardo Escobar (third baseman), Michael Stefanik (second baseman), Mickey Moniac (center fielder), Chad Wallush (posu), and Kyren (pallis) as starting pitchers.

Ohtani failed to produce a hit on the day. Ohtani, who had no hits and two walks in three at-bats in five at-bats, instead succeeded in stealing his 20th base of the season, recording 40 home runs and 20 steals for the second time in his life. Otani, who is the sole No. 1 home run player in the American League, once again proved that he is a "all-around player" who is not only strong but also fast in feet.

Otani hit his first at-bat in the top of the first inning when he had no runner out and faced Oakland starter Kyle Mueller. The result was a walk. Otani, who walked on base in five pitches, opened the door of the attack, but failed to score only with Drury hitting a flyout to third baseman and Grichik striking out a foul tip.

Ohtani's second at-bat was also made without a runner. Otani, who was at-bat in the top of the third inning when there was no runner with two outs, played a full-count match against Mueller, but hitting the sixth pitch led to a flyout to the first baseman and failed to get on base.

The quiet Angels took the lead in the top of the fourth inning with Escobar's two-run homer over the left-center wall and took a 3-0 lead thanks to Wallush's timely double.

Ohtani's third at-bat came from an attack in the top of the fifth inning. a one-out situation. Otani faced reliever Adrian Martinez and walked on base after five pitches. I didn't sit still this time. Otani, who succeeded in stealing second base, enjoyed the joy of achieving 40-20, recording his 20th stolen base of the season. Otani's steal was so quick that the Oakland infield could not cover the base at all. But scoring was a luxury. The Angels' attack came to an end in the top of the fifth inning as Grichik stepped down with a groundout to shortstop

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Ryan Noda hit a two-run homer over the middle wall and Seth Brown hit a two-run homer over the middle wall, which quickly led to a 3-4 turnaround. Still, Renhipo's solo home run in the top of the seventh inning hit a 4-4 tie. Ohtani, who came to bat after Renhipo's home run, faced Francisco Perez, and the result was a swinging strikeout. In the ball count 1B2S, he swung on an 82 mile (132km) slider that came in for the fifth time.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Angels, who collapsed by allowing six runs in defense alone, burned their last hope as they chased 6-10 in the top of the ninth inning when Renhipo's heavy timely hit exploded. But again, Otani's bat was silent. Ohtani struck out again as he swung on an 83 mile (134km) slider against left-hander Kirby Snead. After that, no follow-up hits were made, and the game ended with a 6-10 loss by the Angels.

Although Otani finished the game without a hit, he became the hero of the milestone by recording 46 home runs-26 steals in 2021 and achieving another 40 home runs-20 steals. Ohtani is the only player in Angels history to have 40 home runs and 20 steals, and Alex Rodriguez (4th inning), Barry Bonds (3rd inning), Jose Canseco (3rd inning), Sean Green (2nd inning), Ken Griffey Jr. (2nd inning), Jeff Bagwell (2nd inning) and Hank (2nd inning) have achieved more than two home runs in Major League history. Otani was on par with legendary players representing the Major League.

Otani has another chance to challenge the milestone. Currently, Ohtani has 44 home runs. If Ohtani adds six home runs, he could become the fifth player in Major League history to achieve 50-20. However, it is unclear whether Otani will be able to achieve 50 home runs, given that Otani's home run pace has dropped sharply recently. Otani hit his 44th home run of the season in Game 1 of the doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds on the 24th of last month, but has not hit a home run in 10 consecutive games since then.

Is it because of the aftermath of the injury. Otani is currently focusing only on batters due to damage to his right elbow ligament. On the day of his 44th home run, Otani also appeared as a starting pitcher and was substituted early due to an injury.

Still, Otani's run is phenomenal. Of course, the area where Otani was injured is said to have no problem with hitting, but even when he is at the crossroads of surgery, he is accumulating records one by one. It has yet to be decided whether Otani will undergo surgery. However, local media in the U.S. point out that surgery is essential for Otani to continue his life as a pitcher. At the end of this season, he can exercise his FA rights, drawing keen attention to what choice Otani will make. Although Otani is on the verge of surgery, his baseball continues.