The game between the Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds at Angels Stadium on August 23rd (ET) will likely go down as the last game that Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, one of the best “duos” of this century, played together.

Trout was batting second and Ohtani was batting third in the starting lineup. Trout went 1-for-4, while Ohtani went 0-for-3, as the Angels lost 3-2.

The game marked Trout’s 50th day back on the disabled list after breaking the metacarpal bone in his left hand while hitting against the San Diego Padres on July 4. The next day, Trout was placed on the disabled list (IL) again with pain in the same area. The Angels’ playoff hopes were effectively dashed when Trout’s injury reoccurred a day later.

The Angels went 2-4 in their next six games, including a series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 29, dropping their record to .6369. Coincidentally, on the same day that Trout went on the IL, Ohtani suffered an elbow injury that ended his season as a pitcher. He started the first game of a doubleheader against Cincinnati and left the mound in the second inning after suddenly feeling tightness in his left elbow.

An MRI revealed a torn elbow ligament. The decision to undergo surgery has yet to be made, but Ohtani has continued to play as a designated hitter.

Ohtani is fine at the plate, so we’ll need Trout to return if we want to see “Trautani” again. However, the odds of Trout returning this season are reportedly not great.

“With all the resources the Angels have, it’s truly remarkable that they haven’t made the playoffs once during the Ohtani/Trout era,” Sports Illustrated reported on Monday, “but if Ohtani wants to leave the team, that won’t be an issue anymore. And with the Angels virtually eliminated from playoff contention, it’s unlikely they’ll be forced to bring Trout back again.

In other words, the earliest Trout could return is mid-September, which means there’s not much point in bringing him back if their playoff chances are already gone. Plus, with next season in mind, it’s a hundred times better for Trout to stay healthy and rest.

In response to Trout’s return to the IL, local media outlets wrote: “The Angels rushed Trout back with their playoff hopes dwindling. The organization was confident that Trout could play at full strength, but he hadn’t even thrown a minor league rehab game, let alone a live one.

Trout was out for 49 days, during which the Angels played 38 games. It was a long absence, so at least Trout needed time to get a feel for the game. In his rush to return, he re-injured an area he thought was healed.

Over the past six years, Trout and Ohtani have formed a formidable duo for the Angels. They have hit a home run together in 30 games. The Angels are 21-9 in those games. This season, they’ve been especially potent, going 7-1 in eight games.

However, we may not be seeing Trout and Ohtani in the same uniform side-by-side for much longer. Ohtani will likely choose another team in free agency after this season. New York Post columnist John Heyman listed the Los Angeles Dodgers at No. 1, the San Diego Padres at No. 2, and the Angels at No. 3 on his list of potential destinations.바카라사이트

This is how the “Troutani era,” the most dominant duo since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, who formed “the deadliest hitting duo” for the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1934, is coming to a grim end.