The Los Angeles Angels took a major risk around the trade deadline, opting to keep Shohei Ohtani ahead of his free agency for a run at the American League wild card. That plan has seen the Angels fall entirely out of contention, and Ohtani’s season came to an end after separate UCL and oblique injuries.
Now, Ohtani could have easily checked out and left the team amid the tough injury news. After all, he’s likely played his last game with the Angels. But that wasn’t what we saw on Sunday from Ohtani.
He evidently had different plans … becoming an extra coach for the Angels.
Shohei, the Coach. pic.twitter.com/dBwskx96tf
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 17, 2023
During the Angels’ 5-3 loss to the Tigers, cameras captured footage of Ohtani walking through hitting mechanics with Zach Neto. It was a rough game for Neto, but Ohtani was there to pick up his teammate and help him through a brutal 2-for-36 slump.
Fans loved seeing that from Ohtani. Plus, bonus points for the water bottle tap on the bat boy’s helmet. He truly does it all.