In his first official day as a Dodger, Shohei Ohtani did a little dodging.
The Los Angeles Dodgers held an introductory news conference on Thursday for Ohtani, who signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the team. But the two-way star as both a hitter and pitcher was vague when asked about the surgical procedure he underwent in September that is expected to keep him off the mound until 2025.
“At the time of the announcement, we didn't know which way we were going to go. That's why I never said what type of procedure was going to be done,” Ohtani told reporters Thursday.
It was the first time Ohtani spoke with the media since Aug. 9, two weeks before suffering the injury. Ohtani had surgery on Sept. 19 with Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who also performed Ohtani's 2018 Tommy John surgery.
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“I’m not obviously an expert in the medical field, but it was a procedure," Ohtani said. "I’m not sure what it’s called, I know it was completely different from my first time, so I don’t know what you what to call it. You could probably talk to my doctor about that.”
Ohtani, over his first six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, posted a 39-19 record with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings. He didn't pitch in 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Last season, Ohtani went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings pitched. He also hit .304 with a league-leading 44 home runs and had 20 stolen bases.
Despite Ohtani's production, the Angels failed to make the postseason during his tenure with the team. That lack of team success - along with a $700 million contract - led him from one Los Angeles team to another.
“One thing that really stands out in my head,” Ohtani said, “when I had the meeting with the Dodgers, the ownership group, they said when they looked back at the last 10 years, even though they made the playoffs every single year, won one World Series ring, they considered that a failure. And when I heard that, I knew they were all about winning, and that's exactly how I feel.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story
