CHICAGO (AP) - Plate umpire Jerry Crawford left the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers game Tuesday night and was taken to the hospital.
The Cubs said Crawford wasn't feeling well. No further details were available.Crawford, the crew chief, was seen talking with Cubs trainer Mark O'Neal and another umpire near the dugout before the top of the third inning. They then headed down the steps, and the teams were called off the field.
They went with a three-man crew when play resumed 13 minutes later. Paul Nauert moved from first base to the plate, Tom Hallion went from second to first, and Brian O'Nora stayed at third.
Crawford has a history of health problems, particularly a bad back.
He missed a game between the Indians and Devil Rays last Aug. 18. Three days earlier, Crawford worked 3 1/2 innings of an Astros-Dodgers game before leaving. Crawford wouldn't disclose why he left, but then-Houston manager Phil Garner said it was a back problem.
Crawford also missed a game between the Pirates and Mariners last June because he was ill, as well as a pair of games last May because of "health issues."
It also wasn't the first time Crawford left a game at Wrigley Field.
He left in the fourth inning Game 1 of the 2003 NLCS between the Cubs and Florida after falling ill.
