CHICAGO — Minnesota Twins third base coach Al Newman suffered a hemorrhage in his brain and was having tests Thursday to determine the cause and treatment.
Newman's prognosis is good, though, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said after returning from the Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, where Newman was in serious condition.
"They're on top of it, they're running a lot of tests, they're doing a lot of stuff, so he should be fine," Gardenhire said before the Twins beat Chicago 5-2. "We're hoping everything's going to be OK."
Twins head trainer Jim Kahmann said Newman, a former Salt Lake Buzz coach, had an aneurysm. But Gardenhire said after he got back from the hospital that doctors were still doing tests to determine exactly what prompted the hemorrhage.
Gardenhire spoke with general manager Terry Ryan after the game, and Newman was still undergoing tests. There was no additional news, Gardenhire said.
Ryan was at the hospital with Newman's wife, who arrived in Chicago on Thursday. Gardenhire said Ryan plans to stay in Chicago to monitor Newman's condition while the team goes to Cleveland for a weekend series.
The Twins' win Thursday tied them with the White Sox for the AL Central lead.
"You worry about base hits and winning games, and that's all good and fine and fun. But this is life," Gardenhire said. "This is one of our friends, one of our teammates. This is life. You have to put the game in perspective when you see things like this. This brings us back to reality.
"Baseball is just a game, that's what it is."
The Twins hung Newman's jersey in the dugout during Thursday's game, and players said the friendly coach was on their minds.
"Al hasn't gotten a hit for us this year and he hasn't made an out for us this year, but he's very instrumental in what this team does," second baseman Denny Hocking said. "Not having him here is difficult, but one thing you have to do is you have to focus on the task at hand, and that's playing."
Gardenhire said the Twins had just finished batting practice Wednesday when Newman turned his neck and felt severe pain in his head. Kahmann consulted a White Sox team doctor, and Newman was taken to the hospital.
Gardenhire said he got to the hospital early Thursday in hopes of seeing Newman, but the coach had already been taken for testing.
Newman is in his second season as the Twins' third base coach after spending six years as a manager in their minor league system. A former second baseman, he spent parts of eight seasons in the majors with Montreal, Minnesota and Texas, and was a member of the Twins' 1987 World Series champions.