"As of now, I don't think it's a big issue" - Shohei Ohtani experiences back stiffness while pitching; what it means going forward

Shohei Ohtani got the start for the Los Angeles Angels last night and did not appear to have his best stuff on the mound. Ohtani pitched six innings, allowing five earned runs. Ohtani did strike out 10 batters though.

After the game, Shohei Ohtani spoke to the media about an injury he suffered during the game that caused him to have back stiffness. Ohtani assured reporters this is not an issue as of now.

"Shohei Ohtani said he felt something in his back on a slider to Vlad Jr in the first but was able to pitch through it. But did think it led to lower velocity. He doesn't think it's a serious injury but won't know if he's in the lineup tomorrow until he's evaluated further" - @ Rhett Bollinger

"As of now, I don't think it's a big issue," said Shohei Ohtani on experiencing back stiffness.

Back injuries can linger and have potentially devastating long-term consequences for baseball players. Hopefully this injury for Ohtani is nothing more than a minor setback. We will find out more as he is evaluated further.

Shohei Ohtani and the Angels fall to the Blue Jays in the series opener

Toronto Blue Jays v Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels fell to the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 6 to 3 at Angels Stadium in Anaheim. The Blue Jays improved their record to 24-20 on the season, whereas the Angels dropped to 27-19.

Shohei Ohtani got the start for the Angels and had one of his worst starts of the season so far. He went six innings, allowed five earned runs, and struck out 10 batters. Ohtani suffered his third loss of the season, and his record now sits at 3-3 with an ERA of 3.45.

Hyun-jin Ryu got the start for Toronto, going five innings, allowing just two earned runs. Ryu improved his record to 2-0.

To start the game, Blue Jays outfielder George Springer belted a lead-off home run in the first inning off Ohtani.

"George Springer has nine homers this year and five of them have been leadoff bombs." - @ Jared Carrabis

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. faced off against Ohtani with the score being 4-2 in favor of Toronto in the sixth inning.

"Vlad goes off the pole!" - @ MLB

Guerrero belted a home run down the left field line to extend the Blue Jays' lead.

What's on Tap?

The Angels and Blue Jays continue their weekend series on Friday night with the first pitch scheduled for 9:38 p.m. EDT. For more news and updates, go to the Sportskeeda Baseball page.