Dodgers’ Hunter Feduccia Exits Early Due to Stomach Bug

DENVER –– The thin mountain air seemed to take its toll on Dodgers catcher Hunter Feduccia during Tuesday night’s face-off.

Or perhaps it was the infamous smash burger from lunch that turned unfriendly.

Feduccia had no choice but to exit early from his team’s thrilling 7-6 victory over the Colorado Rockies. He left the game in the bottom of the seventh inning after visibly struggling behind the plate, ultimately succumbing to nausea in the dugout.

“He’s battling a stomach virus or possibly food poisoning, something along those lines,” explained manager Dave Roberts in the post-game briefing. “He was toughing it out the whole game. Eventually, he lasted as long as he could.”

Feduccia had tirelessly been manning the catcher’s spot for the second consecutive game in this series and for the fourth time in five days. His resilience finally gave way with only one out remaining in the seventh inning. 

After catching a slider from reliever Edgardo Henriquez for a strikeout to begin the inning, Feduccia doubled over behind the plate and looked like he was about to retch. 

He quickly raced off the field and back down the dugout stairs, but left behind a trail that required a stadium worker to later mop up near the team’s third-base bench.

“He gave us a great effort,” Roberts said, after Ben Rortvedt replaced Feduccia to complete the game.

Feduccia was part of a second-straight resurgent performance from the Dodgers’ offense, drawing two early walks in their eventual series-clinching win.

The victory was also keyed by Shohei Ohtani, who followed Feduccia’s first free pass with his 30th home run of the season in the third; Freddie Freeman, Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández, who each had two hits and combined for three RBIs; and even Kyle Tucker, who snapped his career-worst 0-for-26 hitless streak with an RBI double in the fourth. 

Just as important, however, was a five-inning, four-run start from Eric Lauer (a passing grade at mile-high altitude) and four innings of two-run ball from the bullpen (punctuated by a four-out save from Tanner Scott).

Feduccia was crucial to that effort early, displaying his growing comfort level with the Dodgers’ big-league pitching staff.

The former unheralded prospect –– who was traded by the team at last year’s deadline, then reacquired this year to bolster the team’s banged-up catching depth –– has become the team’s primary backstop lately, starting for the ninth time in the last 14 games on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, however, he’ll get a deserved break.

“I think we’re just trying to hydrate him,” Roberts said postgame. “He’ll be down tomorrow.”

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