The pitcher was taken to the hospital after fainting following Thursday’s game.
The San Diego Padres were riding high early Thursday night. By the time the game ended, they were dealing with a health scare that overshadowed everything else.
San Diego built a commanding 6-0 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first two innings at Dodger Stadium, only to watch it slip away in one of the biggest comeback losses in franchise history. Making matters worse, starting pitcher Randy Vasquez fainted after exiting the game, sending him to the emergency room as a precaution.
A 6-0 lead unravels fast
The Padres came out swinging against Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki, who was looking to bounce back from a rough outing against San Diego just days earlier. Manny Machado opened the scoring with a two-run home run in the first inning, and San Diego added four more in the second on a solo shot from Jackson Merrill and a three-run blast from Jake Cronenworth, building a 6-0 cushion before the Dodgers had recorded six outs.
That lead didn’t last. First, Dalton Rushing cut into it with a two-run homer off Vasquez in the second inning, part of a night in which he finished 4-for-4 with four RBIs. Second, Max Muncy and Kyle Tucker each drove in runs in the third to trim the gap further. Third, Los Angeles tied the game in the fourth on a two-run double from Andy Pages, then took the lead for good on an RBI double from Mookie Betts. The Dodgers went on to win, 12-7, marking just the second time since at least 1900 that the team has overcome a deficit of six or more runs to win a game.
Vasquez faints after a rough outing
Vasquez had already been through plenty before the final out. He was struck in the right ankle by a 99 mph comebacker off the bat of Betts in the first inning, but remained in the game for two more innings, ultimately allowing four runs on seven hits. Once he was pulled, the team sent him for X-rays on the ankle.
It was on the way to that X-ray, inside the stadium, that Vasquez lost consciousness. Manager Craig Stammen said a team trainer was with him at the time and that he was taken to a nearby emergency room purely as a precaution. Stammen added that Vasquez remained conscious and stable, though full test results were not yet available.
Randy Vásquez was sent to the emergency room after fainting at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night. He is stable and conscious, per Padres manager Craig Stammen.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) July 3, 2026
A tough night gets tougher
The scare came on top of an already rocky night for San Diego. Catcher Freddy Fermin was also evaluated for a concussion after a foul tip struck his face mask in the fifth inning, ending his night early. Vasquez, meanwhile, has struggled for consistency lately, entering Thursday with a 4.71 ERA on the season and an 8.37 mark since the start of June, and he hasn’t completed more than five innings in a start since May.
The loss dropped the Padres to 43-43 on the year, three games back of the final National League wild-card spot, while the Dodgers improved to 57-31 and extended their division lead to 13 games. For now, all eyes are on Vasquez’s recovery, with the team expecting more updates on both his ankle and the fainting episode in the coming days.