The two-way baseball superstardom of Shohei Ohtani these previous three seasons has been nothing wanting absurd.

Tape-measure homers on the common. Fastballs that hovered round 100 mph. Sometimes, just some minutes aside.

In a sports world suffering from questionable hyperbole, Ohtani’s on-field heroics lived as much as each little bit of the hype. It’s why there was a palpable sense of melancholy across the sport after the Los Angeles Angels introduced that the 29-year-old Japanese sensation has a torn ligament in his elbow and received’t pitch once more this season.

Ohtani deliberate to hunt a second opinion earlier than deciding if he’d have Tommy John surgical procedure for the second time.

“A tough day for him,” Angels common supervisor Perry Minasian stated when the information broke. “Tough day for all of us.”

In retrospect, the absurdity of Ohtani’s performances and skill was solely matched by the absurdity to suppose it may proceed perpetually. There’s a purpose the checklist of two-way baseball superstars is principally a two-man checklist: Babe Ruth and Ohtani.

Even Ruth didn’t do the two-way factor for lengthy, and that was greater than 100 years in the past. The Babe was a legit pitcher and hitter in each 1918 and 1919 earlier than changing into a full-time hitter, swatting 714 homers.

Still, with each spotlight from the strapping 6-foot-4, 210-pound Ohtani, each easy double off the wall, each overpowering strikeout, it felt like the boundaries of human efficiency didn’t apply. Last month, Ohtani left a sport with physique cramps and was proper again within the lineup the subsequent day, prompting one beat author to put in writing that “maybe they just updated his software overnight.”

But even machines break down finally.

Ohtani will nonetheless be a coveted free agent this winter - perhaps probably the most coveted in baseball historical past - however there’s little doubt the harm may price him thousands and thousands (and thousands and thousands) of {dollars}. Some across the sport thought he may be baseball’s first $500 million man earlier than the harm.

Now, one thing within the neighborhood of Aaron Judge’s $360 million, nine-year deal appears a greater baseline, although Ohtani has the additional advantage of being a very worldwide icon. There aren’t many individuals who can match Judge as a hitter, however Ohtani is in that dialogue.

And there’s additionally the chance that Ohtani returns to the mound. He’s actually defied expectations earlier than.

But right here’s the reality: The checklist of profitable pitchers following a number of Tommy John surgical procedures is fairly quick. Nathan Eovaldi, Jameson Tallion, Jason Isringhausen and Daniel Hudson are a handful who've had success. Current Dodgers star Walker Buehler - who lately had his second TJ surgical procedure - hopes to affix that group.

Anything Ohtani brings on the mound over the subsequent a number of seasons must be thought of a bonus.

It nonetheless appears like there shall be a number of groups keen to fork over an MLB-record deal to signal Ohtani. Even if he’s purely a hitter, there’s each purpose to consider a number of extra 40-homer seasons are on the horizon. It’s additionally truthful to marvel if these hitting numbers may preserve enhancing if he doesn’t must pitch as soon as per week. Plus, Ohtani is athletic sufficient to be a stellar defensive outfielder, if he ever determined to go that course.

But for at the least a couple of days, it’s comprehensible that baseball followers are mourning what was misplaced.

Ohtani is batting .304 with a league-high 44 homers, 91 RBIs, 97 runs, seven triples and 17 stolen bases. He has a 10-5 document on the mound with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings whereas giving up simply 85 hits.

That may be one of the best five-month efficiency in baseball historical past. Hope you savored it - as a result of it could by no means occur once more.

A handful of two-way prospects have been drafted over the previous a number of years, using the Ohtani wave {that a} new sort of participant may be on a horizon. None of them have come near matching Ohtani’s influence. Now his harm will most likely have a chilling impact on different groups making an attempt to repeat that success.

The easy reasoning: If Ohtani can’t deal with the workload, who actually can?

Through all of it, Ohtani has additionally been a stellar instance of laborious work and a team-first angle. He left the primary sport of Wednesday’s doubleheader together with his arm harm - discovered he had a torn ligament between video games - after which insisted on enjoying as a hitter within the second sport.

The Angels have whole-heartedly supported Ohtani’s two-way endeavors since he arrived - it’s a part of the why he picked Los Angeles within the first place. The outcomes have been extraordinary. But notably, they’ve led to 2 vital arm accidents and no postseason appearances.

Now it’s time for the subsequent chapter - one which may include a brand new group and a brand new UCL.

If that is the top of Ohtani’s two-way dominance, it was fairly a present.

But who is aware of? Betting towards Ohtani appears unwise.

After all, doing the unfathomable is sort of his factor.

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AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham in Anaheim, California, contributed to this report.

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