Phillies Pitcher Daniel Robert Collapses on Mound, Rushed to Hospital During Spring Training Session

Daniel Robert was doing what pitchers do in spring training — throwing a bullpen session, working his way back to game shape. Then the right-hander collapsed on the mound at BayCare Ballpark, and a routine March afternoon turned into something no one on the field will soon forget.

The date was Sunday, March 22. It was Robert’s first time back on a mound since October. And the cause wasn’t a torn ligament or a blown-out elbow — it was a cardiac event.

Robert had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, placed near his chest over the winter. That device triggered as he was coming off the mound.

According to the Mayo Clinic, an ICD is “a small battery-powered device placed in the chest.” It detects and stops irregular heartbeats by delivering electric shocks when needed.

“I was standing right behind him,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said, per MLB.com. “It was scary because he went down, he started to get back up again and he went back down.”

Robert ultimately boarded an ambulance under his own power. He was taken to the hospital and is now out and feeling OK.

This Wasn’t the Phillies Pitcher’s 1st Scare

The reason Robert had that ICD in the first place? A previous cardiac event — one that happened in October during a bullpen session at Carpenter Complex.

Robert recalled feeling “super light-headed” as he began to throw before collapsing, per NBC Sports. That episode was far more dire. Medical staff administered CPR before an external defibrillator was used to shock his heart.

When asked if his heart stopped, Robert said “it was at a lethally low level and a very irregular rhythm.”

Testing later revealed it wasn’t a heart attack. It was described as “an unknown cardiovascular event,” per NBC Sports. The ICD was implanted as a result of that prior event — a safeguard in case it happened again.

One of the most striking parts of Robert’s story is the role his wife, Jillian, played through all of it. She happens to be an ICU nurse.

“She’s an ICU nurse so she’s kind of been my translator with all the doctors,” Robert said of Jillian in February. “She was so good keeping family and friends informed. She thought it was honestly a miracle that I was perfectly fine 20 minutes later.”

“It was completely a freak thing. But it was really scary,” he added.

Why Daniel Robert Came Back to Philadelphia

Robert had a 4.15 ERA in 15 appearances for the Phillies last season before being placed on the injured list. He became a free agent this offseason but chose to return, signing a minor-league contract with the team in February.

His reasoning was personal.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to play this season, but if I was able to, I wanted it to be here because of the way the Phillies supported me,” he said after signing with the Phillies last month. “All the tests show I’m healthy. The Phillies helped me get to see some of the best doctors in the country.”

Now the question is what comes next for a 27-year-old pitcher whose heart has interrupted his career twice in five months — and whose implanted device may have just done the most important work of the spring.