Playing it safe

Ortiz sent to MGH for more cardiac tests

August 30, 2006|Globe Staff

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Red Sox majority owner John W. Henry, who has had to deal with an irregular heartbeat ``for many, many years," said he has spoken with slugger David Ortiz, who flew back to Boston last night for additional testing on his heart, and said the club has ``every reason to believe he will be fine, but that is for the doctors to ascertain and determine the cause.

``Yes, I am quite sensitive to irregular rhythms and have friends who have the same issues," wrote Henry, who has a condition known as atrial fibrillation, in an e-mail last night. ``They are more common than most people know."

The decision for Ortiz to return to Boston was made after he experienced palpitations before Monday night's game and was scratched from the lineup, according to a statement attributed to Red Sox medical director Thomas Gill and released by the club yesterday. Ortiz flew by private plane into Hanscom Air Base in Bedford with injured teammates Manny Ramírez and Wily Mo Peña, along with pitcher David Wells, who is scheduled to start Friday night's game at Fenway Park.

Ortiz was admitted last night to Massachusetts General Hospital, a club spokesman said, for several days of testing under the supervision of Sox internist Dr. Larry Ronan. Ortiz was kept for observation at Mass. General Aug. 19, after first complaining of the symptoms during that weekend's series against the Yankees.

Ortiz, addressing his condition last Friday before the team's game in Seattle, attributed the condition to stress, sleeplessness, and dehydration, and said he was feeling considerably better. But according to manager Terry Francona, he reported experiencing similar symptoms in Oakland Monday afternoon, and after meeting with Francona, general manager Theo Epstein, and team trainer Paul Lessard, it was decided he should return to Boston.

``This comes down to health," said Francona during his daily session with reporters, which yesterday also was attended by Epstein. ``However [doctors] feel about him, he has to know he's fine. We'll gladly put him in the lineup but not until we know we're not going to jeopardize his life.

``We really don't feel like he's going to keel over. He was tested the other night. A lot of people have these things. [But] we can't chance this. No way."

Ortiz leads the American League with 47 home runs and 121 RBIs, and on an otherwise disastrous trip for the team, he had three home runs and a double while scoring six runs and knocking in four. Despite his first reported episode with an irregular heartbeat, he played in all five games of the Yankee series Aug. 18-21. Monday night's game was the first missed by Ortiz because of his condition. He has served as the Sox cleanup hitter in 126 of the team's 132 games.