Baker suffered “mini stroke”
Reds manager Dusty Baker revealed on Tuesday that he suffered a “mini-stroke” on Friday as he was being discharged from a Chicago hospital.
Baker was initially admitted last Wednesday and diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, also known as an irregular heartbeat.
Chris Speier is managing the team at least through this weekend’s series at Pittsburgh. Baker is at the ballpark today but is not meeting with reporters. The club held a team meetings this afternoon.
“He did come down and address the team and looked great,” Speier said. “He lost a lot of water weight. He’s anxious, but again it’s one of those situations where I know today that I’m going to manage tonight and I’ll probably manage, at this point, probably through Pittsburgh. Then the plan I believe is, he’s going to rejoin the team in St. Louis.”
Here is the full statement from Baker and the Reds:
While in Chicago on Wednesday, Reds manager Dusty Baker was admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, commonly referred to as an irregular heartbeat. As he was being discharged on Friday, he suffered a mini-stroke and immediately was treated by the hospital’s stroke team, which minimized the effects of the stroke.
Dusty returned to Cincinnati on Sunday, and his condition has improved dramatically. His Cincinnati neurologist, Dr. Joseph Broderick, and cardiologists, Dr. Dean Kereiakes and Dr. Daniel Beyerbach, expect Dusty to make a full recovery and return to the dugout, possibly as soon as the season’s final series next week in St. Louis.
Dusty said, “While at Wrigley Field I was blessed to have our trainer, Paul Lessard, have the good sense to call in Cubs team physician Dr. Stephen Adams, who examined me in the clubhouse, immediately determined how serious by condition was and personally rushed me to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Dr. Broderick and Dr. Kereiakes are going to make sure I’m ready to handle the duties of managing before I return full time. My family and I are very grateful for the support we’ve received the past few days from Mr. Castellini and our ownership group, Walt, our friends, the baseball family and especially Reds fans. I’m feeling much better, and it’s great being back here in Cincinnati. Chris Speier and my staff are doing a terrific job, and I look forward to getting back to the dugout.”