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Two Major League Baseball players fell ill while playing in extreme heat – as millions of Americans face dangerous temperatures and humidity during the first heat wave of the year.
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton both fell sick Saturday as temperatures topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity drove the heat index above 100.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, De La Cruz vomited on the field in St. Louis as his team took on the Cardinals. An athletic trainer came out onto the field to check on him while the grounds crew cleaned up the area.
“I actually watched him. He drank a bunch of water. I mean a bunch,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “And then he went right out and got rid of it.”
De La Cruz, a 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic, stayed in the game. While the Reds went on to lose, De La Cruz hit a home run and was able to stroll around the bases.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, the Mariners pitcher, Thornton, 31, had to be held off the field after nearly collapsing behind the mound.
Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Thornton had “a little bit of a heat-related illness.”
“It was a scary moment, for sure,” Wilson said. “He battled hard. But just really glad that he’s feeling a little bit better now and should be OK.”
The temperature for the Reds vs Cardinals game was 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33.3 Celsius), while it was 94F (34.4C) at the start of the Mariners vs Cubs.
The home plate umpire for the Mariners-Cubs game, Chad Whitson, also got sick from dehydration during the game.
“He came in, same kind of thing. Just was not feeling well,” Wilson said. “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.”
A Major League Baseball spokesperson said Whitman was doing better Saturday night and was cleared to work third base for the series finale.
More than 170 million Americans will face dangerous temperatures and humidity heading into Monday as the first major heat wave of the year is expected to smash record temperatures across the central and eastern portions of the country.
A heat dome, or a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere that traps heat and humidity, is currently looming over parts of the U.S.
“Extreme heat is tragically the leading cause of weather-related fatalities in America,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said. “There is an amplified risk of heat-related illnesses because this is the first heat wave of the year for millions of people, and their bodies are not yet acclimated to this type of heat and humidity.”
The temperature reached 80F (26.6C) in the Chicago area by 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Forecasts predicted heat indices – how hot it feels to the human body when humidity is taken into account – of between 100F and 105F (37.7C to 40.5C).
The heat index in Pittsburgh was expected to top 105F (40.5C). The temperature in Columbus, Ohio, was 77F (25C) at 8:30 a.m. Highs there were expected to reach 97F (36C).
Forecasts called for a heat index of 100F (37.7C) in Philadelphia on Sunday, with a 108F (42.2C) heat index on Monday.
The city's public health department declared a heat emergency starting at noon Sunday and ending Wednesday evening. Officials directed residents to air-conditioned libraries, community centers and other locations, and set up a "heat line" staffed by medical professionals to discuss conditions and illnesses made worse by the heat.
Forecasters warned the heat index in Cromwell, Connecticut, would reach 105F (40.5C) on Sunday, which was expected to make life challenging for golfers Tommy Fleetwood and Keegan Bradley as they compete during the final round of the Travelers Championship.
With reporting from the Associated Press
