Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani exits game with injury

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated 7/4/23

The wrong kind of fireworks are flying for Los Angeles Angels fans this Fourth of July.

The Angels announced earlier in the day that superstar slugger Mike Trout was going on the injured list after fracturing the hamate bone on his left hand. He suffered the injury on what appeared to be a routine swing in the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres the previous night.

Just hours after the Trout news was made public, Shohei Ohtani was forced to leave the mound with Angels athletic trainer Mike Frostad by his side during their Tuesday tilt against the Padres.

Sho Exits Game
Angels' Shohei Ohtani exits game in San Diego in the 6h inning. Discomfort in the same finger appears to be the reason. Aaron Loup takes over for Ohtani.
Credit: Ballys#大谷翔平 #Ohtani #Angels #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/HsqgNg0RHY

— Anaheim Sports (@AnaheimSports1) July 5, 2023

Ohtani was seen repeatedly attending to his right hand after giving up back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning, the first time he’s ever done so in his MLB career. Shohei wasn’t the only injury casualty of the contest either, as third baseman Anthony Rendon left in the fourth inning after fouling a ball off his left leg.

The Angels released an update on both Ohtani and Rendon shortly after their exits, revealing that the former is currently dealing with a blister in his right middle finger while the latter suffered a shin contusion.

Medical updates:
Anthony Rendon was removed from today's game with a left shin contusion. X-rays were negative.

Shohei Ohtani was removed from today's game (as a pitcher) with a right middle finger blister.

— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) July 5, 2023

The finger that forced Ohtani’s early departure has been giving him trouble for over a week now. The right-hander similarly left the mound in his previous start on June 27 after cracking the nail on the same finger. Ohtani had previously been taking at-bats as a hitter despite the injured finger altering his pitching schedule.

The Angels have yet to put a timetable on when Trout, Ohtani or Rendon will be able to return.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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