News that Shohei Ohtani had a torn UCL in his elbow rocked the baseball world early Thursday morning. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, it is unclear if Ohtani will need surgery, but he won’t pitch the rest of the 2023 season. It’s a development that could cost Ohtani millions as he prepares to hit free agency this offseason.
To many, because of his ability to mash dingers and pitch like an ace, the Los Angeles Angels superstar is the greatest player in MLB history. On top of that, he seems like a great person, making his injury all the more heartbreaking. And for fans of the game, Ohtani is just a flat-out treat to watch night in and night out.
Even for other fellow stars like Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds.
After Ohtani recorded a hit with an off-balance swing Thursday, De La Cruz jokingly prodded him as if to check whether he was real. With Ohtani apparently already knowing about his injury, per Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register, the two superstars shared a laugh in a delightful moment courtesy of Bally Sports West that we can all appreciate:
Elly De La Cruz gotta check if Shohei is real 😂🦄@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/JLcIHEhdr3
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) August 24, 2023
Kudos to Ohtani for putting on a brave face and enjoying some levity with one of the game’s bright young faces. On what had to be one of the toughest nights of his career, this served as an excellent reminder about trying to have some fun regardless of a bad break.