Brewers reliever throws up twice on field but stays in game to pitch

The Milwaukee Brewers needed their bullpen to gut it out, but they probably didn’t expect one of their pitchers to take that literally. In the eighth inning of Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies, reliever Adrian Houser threw up on the field twice, but stayed in the game.

What happened?

The Brewers called upon Houser to pitch the eighth with the team trailing by three runs. The 25-year-old Houser finished his warmups, but before he could throw a pitch, he vomited a few times on the grass behind the mound.

What did the Brewers do?

Umpire Laz Diaz alerted Brewers catcher Manny Piña to the situation. He walked out to the mound with a trainer and manager Craig Counsell. They brought Houser some water. After some conversation, it was decided Houser would remain in the game.

Then it happened again

Houser faced two batters. He gave up a lead-off double to Jorge Alfaro and got Jesmuel Valentin to ground out to third. Then he threw up again.

Houser stays in the game

Houser again was visited by Counsell. At this point, the team had relievers throwing, but Counsell surprisingly decided to stay with Houser for the rest of the inning. He gave up an RBI double, but then was able to get a fly out and a ground out to end the inning.

Why did Houser throw up?

It could be a combination of a couple things. Houser could just be sick. However, it was 92 degrees in Milwaukee and Houser had flown in early in the morning from Triple-A. He could have been dehydrated or exhausted.

Why did Houser stay in the game?

One would hope Houser remained in the game because he assured Counsell he would be OK. Even then, it was tough to see Counsell stick with Houser for the whole inning, especially after he puked a second time.

It’s also possible that Counsell burned through his bullpen too quickly and Houser felt it was important to finish the inning. Counsell had used three different relievers prior to turning to Houser and had used three different relievers Saturday night.

What happened next?

Houser was removed after an inning of work. Corey Knebel came on to pitch the ninth inning even though the Brewers trailing by four runs.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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