Shohei Ohtani reacts to Justin May's first outing since Dodgers pitcher's near-death experience

Shohei Ohtani rarely takes to social media but Dustin May's emotional return to the mound on Sunday had him sharing the near-death experience of the right-handed pitcher.

May returned to the mound on Sunday, pitching a clean inning against the San Diego Padres that he ended with a strikeout. As he was heading to the dugout, he could be seen hiding his face behind the glove, probably emotional with his return after a near-death experience last year, which required him to undergo emergency esophagus surgery.

Ohtani took to social media to share the moment with the right-hander. While he didn't leave any comments, he wanted May to stand out by re-sharing a post of what happened with him last year.

Ohtani's Instagram story

What happened to Dustin May last year that forced him into life threatening situation?

Dustin May, who last pitched in the 2023 regular season, was expected to return on the mound around July in 2024 after undergoing flexor tendon surgery and a Tommy John revision.

However, just one week away from a minor league assignment, May had to be rushed into the hospital and required to undergo emergency esophagus surgery as he ate a salad and a piece of it was stuck in his throat.

During an interview with Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, May's wife, Millie, recalled the near-death experience of the Dodgers ace. Hilariously, May didn't want to enter the ambulance van.

“Dustin is like, ‘My wife can drive me. I don’t need to go in the ambulance,’” Dustin’s wife Millie said. “We can laugh about it now. I don’t think Dustin and I realized how serious it was. We were just so blind-sided and in shock.

“I remember the ER doctor looked at Dustin and said, ‘This is life or death. You have to get in the ambulance or you could die if you’re not hooked up to the antibiotics.’ The doctor looked at me and said, ‘You guys had about four more hours.’ I said, ‘Four more hours or what?’ And he said, ‘Four more hours and things could get really bad.’”

May was hospitalized for 10 days and couldn't even drink or eat as IV was the only way to give him the required nutrients.