Braves’ Marcus Giles Tested for Heart Defect
Atlanta Braves second baseman Marcus Giles has always shown great heart in the rhetorical sense. It looks like his physical heart might have some problems, unfortunately.
Marcus Giles has always been a hustling player, sacrificing his body for the play. Now, it looks like games will have to come second and his health first. The Braves second baseman left his teammates in Philadelphia on Sunday to return to Atlanta where he will undergo tests to determine if he has a heart defect.
Giles told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday that he experienced pain in his chest and abdomen while drinking a soda that morning. He said it felt “like a rock” going down, and he experienced terrifying pain for about 10 minutes after that. Although the pain subsided, he still felt discomfort and was sent to Philadelphia Methodist Hospital from the ballpark. After spending nearly 10 hours there, a physician diagnosed Giles as possibly having a malfunctioning heart valve. If he does not have the problem corrected, Giles told the Journal-Constitution, a stroke could result.
“I talked to him between games [Saturday],” teammate Adam LaRoche told the AJC. “We text [messaged] each other, to see how he was doing. I told him later that he needed to thank God for giving him this warning instead of having a stroke or something.”
Fixing the problem involves stapling the valve, accessing the affected area through an artery near the groin. Recovery time amounts to about a week, but preparing for baseball-related activities could take longer.
A Braves spokesman told the newspaper that the team was having difficulty setting up the necessary tests due to the holiday weekend and wouldn’t have anything to report until Monday at the earliest.
The announcement that a fiery player like Giles had this problem shocked the Braves. “Surprised and scared,” pitcher Horacio Ramirez told the AJC.
He’s been a solid player for the Braves since he was first called up. Right now, though, his health is a lot more important than a ballgame.
- Marcus Giles Has Heartburn, Not Heart Disease
- Marcus Giles Signs with Padres
- Braves Trade Ramirez to Mariners for Soriano
- Five Russian Hockey league players found to have heart defects
- Aaron Boone back playing minor league baseball 5 months after having heart surgery
- Andruw Jones’ Braves Career About Over
- Toronto Maple Leaf Goalie Jonas Gustavsson to see cardiac specialist
- Pirates get LaRoche from Braves
- John Smoltz Melancholy over Braves’ Missed Playoff Opportunities
- Marcus Giles and the Hometown Discount
- Eight is Enough- Edmonton beats Chicago 8-4
- Lydia Ko wins New South Wales Open
- The Comeback I- Pittsburgh Penguins beat NY Islanders 5-0
- Seattle Mariners Outfielder Greg Halman stabbed to death at age 24
- Hee Young Park wins CME Titleholders Championship
- Oklahoma State Women’s Basketball Coach Kurt Budke dead at 50
- Costly mistake- Blackhawks waive Rostislav Olesz
- Manager Tony La Russa announces retirement
- Puck Drop- Florida Panthers start the 2011-12 NHL season
- 13-time PGA Tour winner Dave Hill dead at 74
Comments are Closed