'Is this human?' Withdrawn from starting lineup, skipped All-Star game: Shohei Ohtani, nursing a sore knee, exploded with his 21st home run — 'No issues as a hitter'

*This content was translated by AI.

An unbelievable scene unfolded. Despite giving up his starting assignment and All-Star appearance due to a knee injury, hitting a home run was another matter entirely. Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers) surprised everyone by activating his power bat even after sustaining an injury.

On the 11th, Ohtani started as the designated hitter in the 2026 MLB home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA, and hit his 21st home run of the season.

An unbelievable result, given that it was a powerful blast overcome by injury.

Ahead of today's game, the Dodgers announced news about Ohtani's injury. Originally, Ohtani was scheduled to start, but the team confirmed they would replace him with right-handed pitcher Kyle Hart.

The club stated, "Ohtani plans to focus on knee treatment during the All-Star break in preparation for the second half of the season and will not participate in the All-Star Game."

Fortunately, there was no major issue with his participation as a hitter. He has had similar experiences before. In the 2023 season, Ohtani pitched in 23 games as a pitcher, recording 10 wins and an ERA of 3.14, but he gave up pitching early due to elbow pain starting in August.

Nevertheless, he soared as a designated hitter for the remainder of the season with a batting average of .304, 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, 102 runs scored, an on-base percentage of .412, a slugging percentage of .654, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.066, earning another American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

After undergoing surgery, Ohtani, who joined the Dodgers, delivered incredible performances as a designated hitter in 2024 with a batting average of .310, 54 home runs, 130 RBIs, 134 runs scored, an on-base percentage of .390, a slugging percentage of .646, and an OPS of 1.036, earning MVP honors in the National League as well.

Last season, Ohtani returned to pitching, appearing in only 14 games, yet he dominated as a hitter, becoming the three-time consecutive MVP recipient. This season, he prepared even more seriously for his two-way play.

He appeared more focused on pitching. In the first half alone, he pitched 85⅔ innings across 14 games, recording 8 wins and 2 losses, with 95 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.79, delivering overwhelming performances. Although he did not meet the qualified innings requirement, his ERA ranked second, and his strikeout total also placed second.

As a hitter, he led in home runs and runs scored, ranked second in RBIs, and third in on-base percentage, early signaling an MVP campaign — yet it seemed his knee injury was holding him back.

MLB's official website, MLB.com, reported, "Ohtani is known to have played with left knee pain since the 12th of last month."

As a result, although he had been selected as the National League designated hitter after receiving the most votes in the All-Star fan poll from both leagues — marking his sixth career All-Star appearance — he was forced to skip the game due to injury.

Nevertheless, there was no problem with his participation as a hitter. Starting as the leadoff hitter today, Ohtani ignited from the beginning of the game. Although Arizona took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Ohtani, batting first in the bottom of the first, crushed a sinker inside by opposing starter Eduardo Rodriguez over the left-center field wall for a solo home run. Andy Pages then hit back-to-back home runs to quickly tie the game.

However, he could not maintain his momentum afterward. The Dodgers initiated a bullpen day starting with Hart but surrendered two runs each from the fourth through sixth innings against Arizona, ultimately losing 2-9 in a decisive defeat.

Ohtani also lowered his head afterward. In the bottom of the third inning, he swung and missed at Rodriguez's fast pitch for a strikeout. In the fifth inning, he was retired on a fly ball to center field. In the seventh inning, he struck out swinging at a sweeper from reliever Brandon Garcia.

The Dodgers, who lost to second-place Arizona (47 wins, 47 losses) in the National League West, recorded 61 wins and 34 losses overall, but the gap remains wide at 13.5 games. They still maintain the highest winning percentage (.642) across all of Major League Baseball.

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*This content was translated by AI.