Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez left Friday’s game in Atlanta due to illness, but there was an unusual explanation for the nature of the illness.
Alvarez left the game in the fifth inning after feeling sick on the field, and was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution. After the game, Astros manager Dusty Baker said everything looked normal with Alvarez.
Baker then revealed that Alvarez had been experiencing shortness of breath, which was exacerbated by smoke from the fireworks the Braves set off at Truist Field after home runs.
Dusty Baker on Yordan Alvarez: “He’s being analyzed by the doctors. They said all his vitals are good, but he’s feeling normal. He still has to see the ER doctor. He had shortness of breath. Then when they shot the fireworks off, the smoke made it worse."
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) August 20, 2022
Braves third baseman Austin Riley hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning, which would have prompted a fireworks show. Evidently, the resulting smoke began to bother Alvarez within the next two frames.
Fortunately, it sounds like Alvarez will be just fine. At this point, though, Baker has probably had enough of fireworks around his team.
Alvarez is having an extremely productive season, hitting .295 with 31 home runs.
