Shohei Ohtani hits 44th HR before leaving Angels game with arm fatigue

Shohei Ohtani hit his MLB-leading 44th home run on Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader between the Los Angeles Angels and the Cincinnati Reds. But exited his start in the second inning.

The two-way pheom came off the mound with a team trainer before being ruled out with what the Angels called arm fatigue. Ohtani’s velocity was down to start and never went back into his normal range.

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Before leaving the mound on Wednesday, Ohtani threw a 1-2-3 inning. Spencer Steer led the second off with a walk before Joey Votto popped out. Christian Encarnacion-Strand worked a 2-2 count before a fastball was the last pitch he saw from Ohtani — who asked for a trainer from the dugout before promptly leaving the mound.

Ohtani skipped his last scheduled start due to arm fatigue and hasn’t pitched since Aug. 9. USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale pointed out that the pitcher/designated hitter has only pitched 11 1/3 innings in the last 27 days because of fatigue and blisters.

Going into Wednesday’s doubleheader, the Angels were 9 ½ games out of the final American League Wild Card spot. They didn’t trade Ohtani at the deadline and added some pieces in hopes to make a legitimate run. But a post-deadline skid and having limited use of Ohtani has made LA’s race that much tougher.