Astros manager Dusty Becker said left Astros player Jordan Alvarez was taken to hospital during Friday night’s game against Atlanta with shortness of breath exacerbated by in-game fireworks.
Alvarez left the game on his own with two wins at the bottom of the fifth inning. There was a pause in the business when Braves rookie Vaughn Grissom kicked a ball off his foot and the coach was looking after it.
That’s when Alvarez, who hits 0.295 with 31 hangars and 77 RBIs, took a breather for Houston.
“He was analyzed by the doctors,” Becker said after the Astros’ 6-2 loss. “They said all his vitals are fine. He feels normal but he still has to see our doctor. He was just, he was short of breath and then when they set off the fireworks the smoke made it worse.
“I’m glad we got him out when we did because I looked for him and he was in the bunker and it was a kind of scary moment because he could be anything, but they said he’s fine for now.”
No one in the Astros’ bunker knew Alvarez, this year’s All-Star and Rookie of the Year, was in any distress, Becker said.
“We didn’t see anything,” Becker said. “I just searched the bunker and it was there. Then we had to take it into emergency procedures to find out what was wrong and then the emergency crew came and took him to the hospital.”
Losing Alvarez, who is number one in the AL on a percentage basis and second in the homers, slow percentage, OPS and sprinting, for any length of time would be a huge blow to Houston. The Astros AL-Major star’s grades range from 77 to 44 and is equipped for another deep post-season run.
They lost in the world championships last year to Atlanta.
“He’s a big, big part of this team,” Becker said. “He is our big boy in the middle, so we are not thinking about losing him. We are thinking about getting him back and hopefully he will be fine tomorrow.”
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