One pitch to a former teammate was all Patrick Sandoval needed to end his 2024 season.

He Los Angeles Angels The starter tore the UCL in his pitching elbow and needed season-ending surgery after hurting himself on a pitch against former teammate Shohei Ohtani.

In an interview on The Locker Room with AJ Ramos, Patrick Sandoval revealed that he injured his elbow while facing Shohei Ohtani but continued throwing despite the discomfort.

“I broke a slider, one of the nastiest ones I’ve thrown all year,” Sanodval said. “I was like, ‘Oh, no.’ I felt something in my elbow: 3-2 (count), we called the fastball… I threw it as hard as I could and it was 88 or 89. The worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. ”.

The 27-year-old was the Angels’ Opening Day starter, finishing the season with a 2-8 record and a 5.08 ERA in 16 appearances.

“It sucks, there’s no other way to put it.” Sandoval said at the time of his injury in June. “I love being on the field, I love playing. “It’s just unfortunate.”

Sandoval underwent the first Tommy John surgery of his career. Sandoval’s injury leaves his future in doubt with the angels uncertain because he won’t be able to pitch in 2025. He is under team control until the end of the 2026 season, but the team could opt to non-tender him, making him a free agent after this season.

“You never anticipate having an injury” Sandoval said. “But I’m aware of how common it is in the game. Especially at this level and with how hard the guys throw.”

Entering last season, Sandoval seemed poised to become a rising star for the Angels. He had just finished the 2022 season with a 2.91 ERA and impressed in two starts for Team Mexico during the World Baseball Classic.

However, the season did not go as expected. His walk rate increased significantly, while his strikeouts saw a notable decrease.

“It’s hard for everyone, especially him, because he was just starting to really compete and then something like this happened.” manager Ron Washington said in June. “You can’t control it. But now we know he has to fix it. We just have to move forward. I just told him good luck and that I love him. “There’s not much more I can say.”