CNN
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Soaring temperatures throughout the United States wreaked havoc across Major League Baseball on Saturday, with Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton both falling ill in their respective games.
De La Cruz vomited in the outfield during the fourth inning of the Reds’ 6-5 extra-innings defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, where the temperature at first pitch was recorded at 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius).
Grounds crew cleaned up the area after the Dominican, who ultimately decided to continue, was tended to by a trainer.
“I actually watched him,” said Cincinnati manager Terry Francona. “He drank a bunch of water. I mean a bunch! And then he went right out and got rid of it.”
De La Cruz’s decision to stay in the game paid off in the seventh. With the score tied at 2-2, the shortstop got ahold of Steven Matz’s 85 mph changeup and crushed it 435 feet to left center for a two-run home run.
Later, in the Mariners’ 10-7 defeat to the Chicago Cubs, Trent Thornton had to be treated by emergency medical technicians after he began suffering from heat exhaustion.
With the heat at Wrigley Field having reached 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34 degrees Celsius) at first pitch, reliever Thornton pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings but had to crouch down behind the mound in the eighth after giving up a walk to Ian Happ.
Mariners manager Dan Wilson and assistant athletic trainer Kevin Orloski helped Thornton off the field, and the 31-year-old took an ice bath shortly after.
“It was a scary moment, for sure,” said Wilson, per MLB.com. “He battled hard. But just really glad that he’s feeling a little bit better now and should be OK.”
The incident came after home plate umpire Chad Whitson had already left the game after falling ill at the conclusion of the fifth inning, causing a 10-minute delay and Dexter Kelley to move from second to behind the dish.
“He came in, same kind of thing. Just was not feeling well,” said Wilson, per AP. “Threw up a few times in the dugout and then they came and took care of him from there. The heat was a real thing today, for sure.”
An MLB spokesperson said Whitson had been cleared to work third base for Sunday’s rubber match after he felt better on Saturday night, per AP.
A member of staff at Wrigley Field also suffered a heat-related medical issue after the game had finished, a Cubs spokesperson told AP. The individual was able to walk off the field on his own.
With temperatures expected to be even higher in Chicago for the final game of the series on Sunday, the Cubs plan to bring in a city bus to use as a cooling station next to the stadium – in addition to the cooling and misting stations that were already present for Saturday’s game.
The Milwaukee Brewers’ 9-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field was played under an excessive heat warning, but no players were noticeably ill.
Much of the eastern half of the US is entering what is predicted to be a period of dangerous heat next week. Over 250 daily temperature records could be broken on Monday and Tuesday.
