Angels star Shohei Ohtani hit his league-leading 40th home run of the season on Thursday night, but was only able to deliver four scoreless innings on the mound after dealing with cramping that forced him to leave the contest.
Los Angeles dropped the game against the Mariners 5–3, falling to 56-54 on the season as the franchise fights for its playoff life.
Ohtani was seen visibly upset in the dugout after leaving the contest with injury, clearly frustrated by his inability to compete in a big AL West series with the Mariners.
Shohei was fighting back tears after the Angels lost last night 💔 pic.twitter.com/GLxRCucJEK
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 4, 2023
Oh, he gonepic.twitter.com/SQ4DTcVTE3
— RotoGrinders (@RotoGrinders) August 4, 2023
Despite Ohtani hitting at a historic pace at the plate, the Angels have been plagued by inconsistent pitching and injury issues, specifically to fellow star Mike Trout.
The loss on Thursday dropped the Angels to 7.5 games back in the AL West and 4.0 games back in the AL Wild Card race.
Here are some of the best reactions to the clips of Ohtani leaving the game from baseball fans across social media.
Angels just cannot get over the hump. It’s one step forward and two steps back. Gut punch after gut punch. Tough to watch.
— Dom Quilici (@DQuilici1) August 4, 2023
Think of the roster they could have in 4 years if they had traded ohtani and trout this past off season.
— JB (@jbash34) August 4, 2023
I know he’s counting down the days til free agency…. https://t.co/iHQlF9KNQx
— Smooth Reet Notorious, Glorious (@theNFLchick) August 4, 2023
The idea that Ohtani is more like to stay in LA because they were #aggressive at the 2023 Trade Deadline as they further deplete an already barren farm system while missing the playoffs for the 9th straight season still makes absolutely no sense to me. https://t.co/rnTIC8LQki
— Orioles Fans Say (@OriolesFansSay) August 4, 2023
I respect the Angels trying for one last push but wow this is going to backfire horribly. They might legitimately be set back 10 years now after not trading Ohtani + buying at deadline https://t.co/p2uCZOG8Bg
— Cubbie Bellinger (@HOFReplyGuy) August 4, 2023
