Heasley Struggles on Mound, Vomits During Game

It was honestly hard to watch.

Rays pitcher Jonathan Heasley, making his MLB return after a two-year absence, struggled significantly during Wednesday’s game against the Orioles at Camden Yards. In fact, he vomited on the mound after only throwing three pitches.

At 29 years old, Heasley didn’t just have an off day—he committed three errors in just five innings and drew a visit from the Rays’ developmental staff.

Interestingly, this wasn’t entirely surprising. Ryan Bass, a Rays reporter, noted that Heasley had mentioned this issue in a pre-game chat. Apparently, it’s something he’s dealt with before, even during his minor league stint with Triple-A Durham.

Heasley shared that this has been a long-standing issue for him, dating back to his high school football days. Nervousness tends to trigger his weak stomach, but he seems to take it in stride, saying, “It’s totally fine.”

Despite his problem, Heasley pressed on. After rehydrating, he pitched for the remaining four innings, allowing eight hits and yielding five earned runs. Unfortunately, the Rays fell to the Orioles with an 11-2 score.

This is not Heasley’s first encounter with this sort of issue in the majors. Back on August 23, 2022, when he was with the Royals, he faced a similar scenario against the Diamondbacks, also specifying later that he was feeling fine despite the mishap.

“I feel good right now. Most of you know this has happened before,” Heasley remarked to reporters, reflecting on his past experiences. He expressed disappointment about not pitching the full five innings, as the team was running low on bullpen options that day.

Heasley’s recent promotion from Triple-A is part of a broader series of roster adjustments Tampa Bay has been making, including the signing of notable players like Craig Kimbrel and Austin Slater from the Mets.