Shohei Ohtani returned to the mound for the first time, hitting his 44th homer in the first inning of Game 1 against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, August 23.
Unfortunately, the 29-year-old's return was short-lived.
After throwing a 2-2 fastball to Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the first inning, Ohtani was forced to exit the game in the second due to arm fatigue, MLB.com reported.
"Shotime" was pitching for the first time since August 9. He skipped his last scheduled start, ironically also due to arm fatigue.
Ohtani motioned to the dugout after his 94.2 mph fastball to Encarnacion-Strand. Angels manager Phil Nevin and head athletic trainer Mike Frostad checked him out at the mound. The five-time NPB All-Star would eventually leave the mound accompanied by Frostad and replaced by Tyler Anderson.
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The velocity behind Ohtani's pitch was notably down across the board on Wednesday when he faced the first six ballers of the Reds. However, most were waiting for the Japanese professional baseball player to heat up since he was known for gradually ramping up his pitching speeds in the opening innings, the Associated Press reported.
The development also forced Ohtani out as the Angels' designated hitter. Taking his place was rookie Nolan Schanuel.
Despite this, the 2016 Japanese Series champion is projected to win his second AL MVP award in three seasons after another outstanding two-way campaign.
He entered the game 10-5 with a 3.17 ERA on the mound. Also, his two-run homer gave him 91 RBIs, breaking his tie with Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves at the top of the homer standings.
Olson tied Ohtani for the lead in Major League homers on August 11.
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