Ohtani might not pitch again in ’21
Two-way star Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch Friday for the Angels because of a sore right arm that could sideline him as a pitcher for the rest of the season.
“If there’s any kind of lingering soreness, you may not see him pitch,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said before Thursday’s 9-3 victory against the White Sox.
Ohtani (9-2, 3.36 ERA) felt soreness while playing catch Wednesday. Maddon said he raised the possibility of the likely American
League MVP being shut down on the mound for the rest of the season during a meeting.
Maddon said there are currently no plans for Ohtani to be examined by a doctor, nor has it been determined when he would try to resume playing catch.
Ohtani, 27, hasn’t pitched since Sept. 10, when he was tagged for six runs on nine hits in 3⅓ innings in a loss at Houston.
Royals’ Perez ties Bench’s HR mark for catchers
Royals slugger Salvador Perez tied Johnny Bench’s record for homers in a season by a catcher with his 45th in a 7-2 loss to the Athletics.
Perez hit a two-run homer in the first inning, matching Bench’s total from 1970 for the most by a player who played at least 75% of his team’s games at catcher. Perez’s 112 RBI leads the majors this season while his 45 home runs are tied for the most with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Chad Pinder delivered a two-out hit during a four-run third inning for the Athletics. The A’s also scored three runs in the ninth on just one hit.
In other games . . .
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his NL-leading 39th home run and the Padres beat the Giants 7-4 to earn a series split and move within half a game of the idle Cardinals for the second NL wild-card spot. San Diego starts a three-game series in St. Louis on Friday.
♦ Yankees reliever Clay Holmes threw a wild pitch with two outs in the ninth inning that let the tying run score, then Austin Hays chopped an RBI single in the 10th that lifted the Orioles to a 3-2 win, dropping New York a half-game behind idle Toronto and Boston atop the AL wild-card standings.
♦ Tyler Mahle (12-5) allowed five hits — all singles — in six scoreless innings, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a go-ahead, pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the seventh, and the Reds avoided a three-game sweep by edging the Pirates 1-0 to remain one game out of the second NL wild-card spot.
Mariners to host 2023 All-Star Game
The Mariners were formally revealed as hosts of the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game after ramping up a bid initially targeting 2024 or later.