Shohei Ohtani’s superhuman two-way pursuit, once again, ran headfirst into the sobering reality of being human, derailing a start to the season that had him looking like a lock for his fifth MVP award. Everyone knows the guy is an absolute legend, a two-way freak of nature unlike anything we have seen. But the biggest question hanging over him since he hit the states in 2018 wasn’t his raw ability,four unanimous MVP awards and a couple of championships sure answered that with a resounding YES. No, the real kicker was always whether his body could actually handle the insane physical toll of pitching and hitting in the major leagues. And for the most part, the answer has been a hard no.
The Relentless Pursuit Hits a Wall, Again
Dude has amassed plenty of playing time and individual accolades, but you just cannot ignore how often injuries have put the brakes on his impossible quest. Only twice in his career,in 2021 and 2022,has Ohtani played a full, healthy two-way season. He has already gone under the knife for two elbow surgeries, one back in his rookie year of 2018 and another after his final season as an Angel in 2023, limiting his mound availability in pretty much every other year. This year, though, with that second surgery in the rearview, there was serious hope that Ohtani could finally sustain his full two-way responsibilities for a third full campaign. He even reminded us all in October, much to the Milwaukee Brewers’ chagrin, what he is capable of when he is at his peak. Entering his third season with the Dodgers, Ohtani was geared up to deliver and help L.A. go for that three-peat. Preseason whispers even had him eyeing a Cy Young Award, an absurd side quest to his everyday mission as the team’s leadoff hitter.
From Unstoppable to Sideline: The June Blister Heard Round the League
For the first two months, it looked like Ohtani was actually going to pull off the impossible again. His first 10 starts were absolutely bonkers: a preposterous 0.74 ERA through 61 innings, with 67 strikeouts and only 30 hits allowed. His OPS was hovering around .900, which, while a bit below his insane standard, was still among the league’s best marks. While his workload might have made his NL Cy Young chances a bit cloudy compared to other guys, he was definitely on track for his fifth MVP award in six seasons. He was living up to those outlandish preseason expectations, man. But then June dropped like a ton of bricks. The physical setbacks started piling up, derailing not just his Cy Young push but those MVP hopes too. It all started in his 11th start of the season on June 10 in Pittsburgh, where he surrendered a season-high four runs over 6 ⅔ innings while dealing with a blister on his right middle finger. He tried to downplay it, but we all saw what happened.
This latest setback, marked by a blister he tried to brush off, has already clouded his shot at keeping pace in the NL Cy Young race and seriously complicated his bid for a fifth MVP. For the Dodgers, who came into this season hoping for a three-peat, Ohtani’s health remains the biggest question mark. Can he bounce back and push through, or will his body keep reminding everyone that even a superhuman has limits?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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