MINNEAPOLIS – As Major League Baseball focuses on the condition of its prized star's pitching elbow, Major League Baseball's highest-paid star has put an emphasis on the sport as a whole and introduced a pitch clock last season. He hypothesized that this may be behind the rapid increase in injuries.
Shohei Ohtani has a well-known scar in sports circles on his right elbow, having undergone Tommy John surgery after his rookie season in 2018 and another major elbow surgery (later It turned out to be a hybrid surgery (Tommy John and internal correction).
He understands the impact that pitching near triple digits has on the body, and his average fastball velocity last season was higher than that of a pitcher who pitched more than 120 total innings before exiting his August start due to discomfort. It was ranked 8th among the Still, he and others understand the value of his arm and MVP-caliber bat, who earned a 10-year, $700 million contract from the Los Angeles Dodgers this winter.
Ohtani, who started making progress with his throwing last month after returning from surgery, believes that his focus on pitching with maximum effort along with the pitch clock is helping to address the rash of throwing problems plaguing stars like Gerrit Cole. He said Spencer Strider, Shane Bieber, Yuri Perez and even Framber Valdez, just two weeks into the season, could be “key factors.”
Ohtani said, “Pitchers want to throw the best pitch they can,'' and he understands that desire.
“As far as pitch quality, you can't just go out there and throw poor pitches,” Ohtani said through translator Will Ireton.
Although not as blunt as Monday's call, the two-way star did not ignore the potential contributing factor to the pitch clock due to a pitcher's injury — when the Players Association raised the issue in a statement Saturday, Major League Baseball pushed back on this.
“It definitely puts some pressure on the body having to maintain the workload in a shorter amount of time,” Ohtani said. “So I personally believe there may be a (relationship), but there's nothing concrete to say that's the only reason.”
Ohtani, who said his rehabilitation is progressing well, has plenty of examples to see in his own clubhouse. Dodgers Opening Day starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow underwent the same hybrid surgery that Ohtani underwent in 2021. Walker Buehler completed his second rehab start at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday as he attempts to return from his second Tommy John surgery. Dustin May is recovering from his second major elbow surgery in three years, and 2022 NL All-Star right-hander Tony Gonsolin is expected to miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last fall. is. Even Clayton Kershaw is coming off the first major surgery of his career, having labrum surgery this offseason.
These weapons have an expiry date. The sports world is grappling with why.
“The most important thing is to protect their arms,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And obviously we haven't succeeded in doing that.”
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(Photo: Caitlin Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
