Sports play through another dangerously hot day in parts of the US

By Canadian Press on June 22, 2025.

CHICAGO (AP) — The shade — under the roof and the upper deck, in every dugout and tunnel — was a popular place at Wrigley Field on Sunday.

The sunny seats, not so much.

Several major league teams played through a second straight day of muggy conditions as dangerously hot temperatures dominated parts of the United States during a June heat wave.

The PGA Tour was in a sweltering Connecticut for the Travelers Championship, and the LPGA played the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in the heat of Texas.

Brady Vale, of Ellington, Connecticut, was sweating through his shirt, with a water bottle in each hand, while he waited in a line at a free hydration station at the Travelers. He had been at the course in Cromwell, Connecticut, about four hours.

“It’s getting me real tired, a little dehydrated,” he said.

Rick and Cathy Gregory of Farmington, Connecticut, have been to the Travelers tournament before, but this seemed different.

“I think this year the heat came on quickly,” he said. “So it’s a bit more of a shock to the system, even though in the past it’s been hot.”

The gametime temperature was 92 degrees for the series finale between the Mariners and Cubs in Chicago. Kids played in the fountains outside Wrigley before going into the ballpark, and the Cubs encouraged fans to take precautions in a message on the videoboard in left field.

Seattle first baseman Donovan Solano, a Colombia native, said he drank a lot of water with salt during the Mariners’ 14-6 victory.

“I don’t need to move, I don’t move. It’s that simple,” he said. “Because everybody wasn’t prepared for this weather. It was hot, so we have to be smart with how you use your energy.”

Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert said he went into the tunnel next to the visiting dugout when he wasn’t on the mound.

“It’s cooler down there. We have a fan and that kind of stuff,” he said. “Gives me space to warm up for next inning and cool down.”

Seattle reliever Trent Thornton and umpire Chad Whitson both left Saturday’s game with heat-related issues. Whitson was at third base on Sunday, and Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Thornton was doing well.

“(Thornton) was doing much better after the game yesterday and got some fluids in him and a cold bath and was doing much better almost immediately,” Wilson said. “And then, you know, feels really good today again. So thankful for that and glad to see he’s doing well today.”

Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said Elly De La Cruz was fine a day after the shortstop threw up during their extra-inning loss at St. Louis.

It was 93 degrees for the gametime temperature for Sunday’s series finale between the Reds and Cardinals.

“It was a little hot. I came in and I was sweating already, and I hadn’t even gone outside. And then you step outside and it feels like you’re in an oven,” Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott said. “But those are days you just kind of bear down, use the training staff, use the strength staff, stay cool however you can, and just go with it.”

Wilson, 56, a former big league catcher, said there isn’t much he can do as manager to help his players with the heat.

“We’re all pretty used to playing in hot days,” he said. “Especially in the minor leagues, you play in a lot of hot places. But, you know, this is a little different. This has been pretty exceptional.”

At the LPGA tournament in Frisco, Texas, the forecast called for temperatures in the mid-90s — pretty typical for the area this time of year. The windy conditions were more of an issue for the players.

There were several cooling areas around the course for fans, along with spots with free bottled water.

During the Real Madrid-Pachuca game in the Club World Cup in North Carolina, the sides had a water break around the 25-minute mark of the first half.

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AP Sports Writers Stephen Hawkins in Texas, Jimmy Golen in Cromwell, Connecticut, Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and AP freelance reporter Jeff Latzke in Missouri contributed.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Jay Cohen, The Associated Press