Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani has been playing with a cracked fingernail but will have his next pitching start pushed back from Monday to Tuesday, manager Phil Nevin said Saturday.
“We think it’s going to be fine,” Nevin said of Ohtani’s nail on his middle finger.
Ohtani (7-3, 3.02 ERA) is scheduled to pitch Tuesday against Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (6-2, 3.80).
Jaime Barria will instead open the series for the Angels against San Diego on Monday, and Los Angeles will go with Patrick Sandoval on Wednesday in the three-game series finale, Nevin said.
Ohtani, who throws right and bats left, went into his start against the Chicago White Sox last Tuesday with a small crack in the nail, and it got worse during the game. He stopped pitching in the seventh inning but stayed in to hit.
“I feel like I came out of the game before it got too bad,” Ohtani said through an interpreter after the game.
He was still highly productive, winning the game 4-2 and becoming the first American League pitcher in nearly 60 years to hit two home runs and strike out 10 batters in one game.
Ohtani, who turns 29 on Wednesday, hit 15 homers in June and leads the majors with 30 total along with 67 RBIs in 83 games. On the mound, he has started 16 games with 127 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
