Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners Players Experience Heat Illness

On Saturday, both Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Seattle Mariners pitcher Trent Thornton fell ill amidst extreme heat that blanketed much of the United States.

De La Cruz, during the fourth inning with two outs, was seen vomiting on the field while playing in St. Louis against the Cardinals. He was quickly attended to by a trainer, and crew members cleaned up the area.

Terry Francona, the Reds’ manager, mentioned, “I actually saw him. He drank a lot of water. I mean a bunch.”

Despite this distressing moment, De La Cruz remained in the game and responded impressively by hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning.

Meanwhile, Thornton started the eighth inning in a game against the Chicago Cubs, which ended in a 10-7 loss for Seattle. However, he had to be assisted off the field after pitching for 2⅓ innings without allowing any runs.

Mariners’ manager Dan Wilson reported that Thornton was suffering from “a bit of fever-related illness.” He added, “It was certainly a scary moment,” noting his relief that Thornton was feeling better afterward.

The game in St. Louis recorded a temperature of 92 degrees, escalating to 94 degrees for the first pitch of the Mariners’ game in Chicago. Additionally, Milwaukee’s game against Minnesota took place under an excessive heat warning.

As the day progressed, there were further complications; the game faced the challenge of having three umpires after Chad Whitson also fell ill and had to be treated in the Mariners’ dugout. Wilson said, “He came in. It was the same thing. I didn’t feel good,” highlighting the heat-related difficulties experienced that day.

Dehydration was also noted with Whitson, but a major league baseball spokesman indicated that he was doing fine later and would be back for the series finale. Following the game, a spokesperson for the Cubs mentioned their staff had also dealt with heat-related health issues shortly after the match concluded.

In response to the oppressive conditions, the Cubs implemented cooling and mist stations throughout Wrigley Field and increased paramedic presence. Plans were made to continue these measures into Sunday, including bringing in city buses for fans to use as cooling stations.