Vinnie Pasquantino Leaves Game Due to Heat-Related Illness
Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino was forced to leave Saturday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox due to a heat-related illness, after striking out in the first inning. The Royals secured a 6-2 victory.The temperature during the game was 94 degrees. Pasquantino, who called for time during his at-bat, struck out. When the Royals took the field for the second inning, Nick Loftin moved to first base. John Rave took Loftin’s place in left field and assumed the third spot in Pasquantino’s batting order. Rave connected two hits, including a home run, and scored two runs.“I went blank,” Pasquantino stated after the game. “I was moving strangely because I was trying to understand what was happening. I didn’t feel good. Basically, I couldn’t get my heart rate down.”
Vinnie Pasquantino
Rave hit a home run in his first at-bat, and then a single in his next at-bat, scoring from first base thanks to a double by Maikel García. The Royals selected Pasquantino in the 2019 draft. He leads the team with 80 RBIs, is tied for the team lead with 22 home runs, and is batting .259. Pasquantino says he plans to be in the lineup for the final game of the series on Sunday, as long as he complies with medical protocol. He stated that he did everything he could to prepare for the heat, but it wasn’t enough.“I try to show up at the park every day and get ready the same way, whether I play or not,” Rave said. “I had done swings today and had been moving around a bit. Usually, it doesn’t happen that early in the game. But I was ready to play.”
John Rave
“I prepared well for today’s game,” he said. “It just hit me. And I really don’t know how to explain it. That had never happened to me before. I’m sure people will want to (say), ‘Hey, drink water or something like that’. I was hydrated before the game, I was ready to play, and it just surprised me. So we’ll figure out what happened and be better for next time”.
Vinnie Pasquantino
