Elly De La Cruz vomits, Trent Thornton has to be helped from field as MLB games disrupted by extreme heat

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.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

USA Today

29 minutes ago

• USA Today

Gavin Lux Player Props: June 22, Reds vs. Cardinals

Gavin Lux went hitless in his last game (0 for 4 with an RBI), but will have another crack at it when the Cincinnati Reds face Miles Mikolas and the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. ET on FDSMW and FDSOH. Find odds, stats, and more below to make your Gavin Lux player prop bets. Lux is batting .265 with 14 doubles, a triple, three home runs and 32 walks. Watch tonight's Reds game on Fubo! Gavin Lux Prop Bets and Odds How to Watch Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals Gavin Lux vs. Miles Mikolas Gavin Lux prop bet insights MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Sunday at 1:28 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Gavin Lux stats against the Cardinals Cardinals starter: Miles Mikolas

Yahoo

29 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Houston Rockets have second-best NBA title odds at sportsbooks after Kevin Durant trade

Before Game 7 of this year's NBA Finals tipped off, the NBA world was stunned by a Kevin Durant blockbuster deal, sending him to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in next week's 2025 NBA draft and five second-round picks. It also sent a shockwave through the odds board at sportsbooks, as the Rockets moved from the 12-1 range to around +750 to win the 2025-26 NBA championship. Those are the consensus second-best odds behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are well ahead of any other team at +230. Advertisement "Good trade for Phoenix, adding Jalen Green and the 10th pick is the right direction," Jeff Sherman, vice president of risk at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook told Yahoo Sports via text message. "We lowered Houston from 12-1 to +900 just based on perception. They should be in the mix no doubt, I just like the return for Phoenix better than what the Rockets got in a 37-year-old they have to extend." The New York Knicks (+900), Indiana Pacers (+950) and Cleveland Cavaliers (11-1) had the next-best consensus title odds at sportsbooks. "Having someone who can score in the half court was exactly what Houston was lacking all season, and it cost them dearly in the playoffs," Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in Atlantic City (a BetMGM book) told Yahoo Sports via text. "While this will be Durant's 18th season, he can still generate offense in the half court, even if he doesn't get to the basket as much as he used to. He should help a very young Rockets team, even if it's only a short stint." Advertisement Sherman and other oddsmakers did have Houston as the second-best team in the West in their power ratings, but cautioned the ranking was simply as of today's trade, noting, for example, if San Antonio traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo that could vault them to No. 2. "We slightly lowered the Rockets' title odds," Jeff Benson, director of sportsbook operations at Circa Sports said via direct message on X. "They upgraded and didn't give up a ton, especially the good young guys." The +750 odds are the best for the Rockets since the 2019 season, per Sports Odds History, when Houston was +700.

Washington Post

31 minutes ago

• Washington Post

Chisholm rallies Yankees to 4-2 win as New York takes 2 of 3 from Orioles

NEW YORK — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a go-ahead, two-run double off the right-center field wall in a three-run eighth inning, leading the New York Yankees over the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 Sunday. New York won its second straight after losing seven of its previous eight games. A day after the Orioles were held hitless for seven innings by Clarke Schmidt, Jackson Holliday singled on Will Warren's first pitch, setting up a two-run first that included Ryan O'Hearn's run-scoring single and Colton Cowser's RBI double.