Cubs pitching coach, a KC native and former Royals player, ‘got crushed’ by COVID-19
Some naysayers believe the COVID-19 pandemic has affected only older people with underlying conditions.
But Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, 38, says that’s not the case. He should know, because Hottovy, a Kansas City native and Park Hill South graduate, was hospitalized with the coronavirus.
Hottovy, who attended Wichita State and later played for the Royals in 2012, revealed the diagnosis Wednesday morning on 670 The Score in Chicago.
“It is important to understand that, guys, I’m 38 years old,” Hottovy said on the “Mully & Haugh Show.” “I’ve been poked, prodded, tested for the last 16 years in Major League Baseball. I’ve had no underlying issues, nothing that would red flag me as somebody that would get hit pretty hard with this virus. But I did. My journey through this virus was not like ones you hear of younger people that are asymptomatic or only have it for a few days. I got crushed. I did have to go the hospital for a little bit of time to get checked and do all the breathing treatments.
“To be honest with you so people understand, it took 30 days to test negative. Thirty days. And going into a baseball season and understanding in a 60-game season what 30 days means. If it happened to me now ... I would probably have missed the majority of the season.”
Hottovy doesn’t know how he contracted the coronavirus, but said he’s lost 18 pounds after first feeling symptoms in mid-May. He initially had body aches and a fever and moved into a spare bedroom at his home to protect his wife and children.
“The first five, six days were pretty normal what you hear with a lot of cases,” Hottovy said. ”The problem is on day eight through 14, it crushed me. It got into my lungs. I got the full what they call the COVID pneumonia, it’s a viral pneumonia, shortness of breath, really trouble breathing, constant fevers.”
Hottovy had a fever of more than 100 degrees for six consecutive days and things worsened by the 12th day so he went to the hospital. It was an educational experience.
“Fortunate for me, being young enough, I was able to go in there and get tested and get on the breathing treatment to help open up my lungs a little bit and was able to be released later in the day,” Hottovy said. “A lot of that was just because they needed the rooms for people who were in worse shape than I was.
“Going to the hospital and seeing what the front line workers and hospitals are dealing with, it’s honestly eye-opening. I feel fortunate to have gone through what I did and come out the other end of it.”
Hottovy said the ease with which the coronavirus spreads likely means players will test positive. He’s not surprised some players have chosen to skip the 2020 season.
“A lot of players have family members who are not as fit as them,” Hottovy said. “I think about that every day. Yeah, I might be able to survive it, but what if I get it and give it to a family member that can’t handle it the way I can?
“I think that’s one thing you see a lot of these players thinking through.”
You can listen to more of what Hottovy said below (if that doesn’t play, here is the link):
