Vásquez Faints, Hospitalized
Padres Pitcher Randy Vásquez Faints After Comebacker Hit, Hospitalized for Precautionary Testing
Key Points
The comebacker that struck Vasquez's right ankle was hit by Mookie Betts at about 98.8 mph and caromed to Padres first baseman Ty France for the out.
Vasquez briefly lost consciousness while walking to the X-ray room and was taken to the emergency room as a precaution; Padres manager Craig Stammen said the exact cause of the fainting was not known, suggesting possibilities such as ankle pain, anxiety or stress.
The Padres had built a 6-0 lead with home runs from Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth before the Dodgers mounted a 12-run rally to win 12-7 and push their NL West lead to 13 games.
Vasquez did not record a strikeout in his three-inning start, allowing four runs on seven hits with one walk.
San Diego Padres starter Randy Vásquez fainted while walking to get an X-ray at Dodger Stadium on Thursday and was rushed to a nearby emergency room, The New York Times reported. He had been struck on the right ankle by a 98.8 mph comebacker off the bat of Mookie Betts in the first inning but stayed in the game before the medical scare unfolded.
Vásquez remained stable and conscious at the hospital, where doctors ran tests on both his ankle and the cause of his fainting, according to SI.com. The Padres fell 12-7 to the Dodgers in the same game, blowing a 6-0 lead.
Betts Comebacker Starts a Scary Chain of Events
The trouble began in the first inning when Mookie Betts lined a ball back at Vásquez at roughly 98.8 mph. The ball hit Vásquez on the right ankle and caromed to first baseman Ty France for the out, The New York Times reported. Despite the hit, Vásquez stayed on the mound and kept pitching.
He threw three full innings before leaving the game. In that stretch, he allowed four runs on seven hits with one walk and zero strikeouts, per NBC Sports. It was a rough outing — but the ankle injury was about to turn into something far more alarming.
Vásquez Loses Consciousness on Way to X-Ray
After leaving the mound, Vásquez was being walked to the X-ray room inside Dodger Stadium when he fainted, The New York Times reported. He briefly lost consciousness but came back around quickly. The team immediately called for emergency care.
Padres manager Craig Stammen said the exact cause was not known. He suggested it could have been ankle pain, anxiety, or stress from the situation, according to ABC30. Vásquez was taken to the emergency room as a precaution, and further tests were ordered to check both his ankle and the fainting episode.
Dodgers Erase 6-0 Deficit, Win Going Away
While Vásquez was being treated, the Padres were watching a big lead disappear. San Diego had jumped out to a 6-0 advantage on home runs from Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and Jake Cronenworth. It looked like a comfortable night for the home team.
Then the Dodgers scored 12 straight unanswered runs to win 12-7, SI.com reported. The loss pushed Los Angeles's lead in the NL West to 13 games. It was a painful collapse on top of an already difficult evening for San Diego.
Vásquez Stable, But Timeline to Return Is Unclear
As of Thursday night, Vásquez was stable and conscious at the hospital, per ABC30. Doctors were still running tests. The Padres had not yet said how much time he might miss.
Vásquez carries a 4.71 ERA through 17 appearances — 16 of them starts — this season, per NBC Sports. His recent outings have been tough, and this injury adds another layer of uncertainty to San Diego's rotation heading into the weekend.
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