A Night to Remember – and Regret
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jonathan Heasley made headlines in a rather unusual way during his return to the majors on Wednesday night in Baltimore. Coming off a two-year minor-league journey that included a brief stint in Mexico, the 29-year-old was called upon in relief with the Rays trailing the Orioles 6-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning.
However, what should have been a routine appearance turned into an unexpected spectacle. Before Heasley could record a single out at Camden Yards, he found himself upchucking his stomach contents on the mound. And it wasn’t just one instance—before Heasley could escape the fifth-inning jam, he would surrender two runs, a double, and a single while barfing a total of three times.
A Challenging Appearance
He was ultimately visited on the mound by Tampa trainers, who opted to leave him in the game for figurative (not literal) mop-up duty. Heasley would go on to give up a total of five runs on eight hits, including two home runs, as Tampa fell 11-2 to their AL East rivals.
Remarkably, this is not an isolated incident for Heasley, who recently had similar stomach issues with the Triple-A Durham Bulls. He even warned media not to be concerned ahead of his MLB return on Wednesday.
A History of Stomach Issues
So if it does happen, don’t be alarmed, I’m all right,’ he told reporters, as quoted by The Tampa Bay Times. ‘I can usually just get it out, and I’m good and keep going. So don’t panic.’
Rays sideline reporter Ryan Bass later revealed on the TV broadcast that Heasley has battled this issue since his high-school football days.
‘He said when he used to play high school football, it would happen regularly,’ Bass said on the TV broadcast as Heasley was being evaluated. ‘He just has a weak stomach. It sometimes happens when his nerves kick up a little bit.’
Heasley previously puked during a 2022 appearance with Kansas City, and he’s hardly alone in the field of in-game regurgitation.
A Trend Among Athletes
Current San Francisco Giants pitcher Adrian Houser vomited during a 2025 appearance for the Chicago White Sox. And as was the case with Heasley, Houser said this was a recurring issue.
‘Oh yeah, that’s probably about the fifth time,’ Houser told reporters on July 9.
‘So that’s nothing new. The trainers knew. I told them when I came in. I was like, “Hey, this is a possibility.” So once I get it out, it’s all good. Ready to rock and roll. I felt a lot better after it. So I was able to settle in after that and just, you know, puke and rally.’
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and even 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell have battled the same affliction. Then there are those who spewed during games, such as Donovan McNabb, who did so at Syracuse and in Super Bowl XXXIX with the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Rays’ pitcher Jonathan Heasley gets sick during first MLB appearance since 2024 pic.twitter.com/ulEvyDKDVS— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 28, 2026
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A Common Struggle
In 2024, Green Bay Packers center Josh Myers vomited on the football before snapping it to unfortunate quarterback Malik Willis.
More recently, US tennis star Coco Gauff fell ill during the Madrid Open, but that issue can be traced to last month’s stomach bug that spread throughout the WTA and ATP Tours.
