Pedro Guerrero, former Dodgers star, in a coma after stroke

Esposa del pelotero Pedro Guerrero desmiente Muerte Cerebral en El Show del Mediodía

LOS ANGELES >> Pedro Guerrero was transferred out of the intensive care unit of his Manhattan hospital Tuesday, one day after the former Dodgers slugger was hospitalized with a brain hemorrhage.

According to a source in contact with his family, Guerrero is able to shake his head and squeeze his hand in response to commands, a marked improvement from the previous night.

Earlier reports that Guerrero awoke from a coma were contradicted by a friend of his family, who said he spoke directly with Guerreros wife, Roxanna. According to that friend, Guerrero is comatose and still faces surgery to relieve bleeding and pressure in his brain.

Guerrero, 60, is under the care of Dr. Rafael Ortiz at Lenox Hill Hospital. Ortiz is the same physician who cared for Guerrero when he suffered a stroke in Feb. 2015.

He recovered from that so G*d willing h**l recover from this, said Dodgers coach Steve Yeager, Guerreros former teammate in Los Angeles.

One of Guerreros friends told the Southern California News Group that he and his wife were driving to a gym in Queens around 6 p.m. local time Monday when Guerrero felt cramps in his head and pulled to the side of the road. He was taken to the nearest hospital and placed in a medically-induced coma.

The same source said that Guerrero was transferred to Lenox Hill and was able to squeeze hands on command by midday.

Guerrero played 15 seasons in the major leagues. As a Dodger from 1978-88, he made three all-star teams and finished in the top four in National League MVP voting three times.

Guerrero, Yeager and Ron Cey were named World Series co-Most Valuable Players in 1981 as the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees. Guerrero hit two home runs in the six-game series.

He had a lifetime batting average of .300, which puts him in the one percentile of all players who played Major League Baseball, Cey said. His career wasnt that long but he certainly did damage in the time that he played. He was a dominant factor in our lineup and the other lineups that he played with as well.

Guerrero was chosen to the 1981, 1983 and 1985 National League All-Star teams. He won a Silver Slugger award in 1982.

Guerreros 15 home runs in June 1985 equaled the Dodgers franchise record for a single month. In July 1985 he reached base in a franchise-record 14 consecutive plate appearances, two shy of Ted Williams all-time mark.

A knee injury derailed Guerreros 1986 season, limiting him to 31 games.

I think I was managing A-ball when we heard on the way back from a spring training road trip that he hurt himself at third base and was out for the year, Dodgers broadcaster Kevin Kennedy said. We knew our season was done without Pedro. Thats how good he was.

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The next season, 1987, Guerrero batted .338 with 27 home runs and was chosen NL Comeback Player of the Year.

Guerrero was traded to the Cardinals in August 1988 and played his final major league game for St. Louis in 1992. Guerrero spent a portion of the 1995 season with the Angels Double-A affiliate, his final year of organized baseball.

Known for his elite bat, guerrero also built a reputation as a hard drinker, drug user and partier off the field. He was arrested in Sept. 1999 and charged with attempting to purchase cocaine with the intent to distribute. He was acquitted in June 2000 after Guerreros attorney argued that his client didnt understand what he was doing.

Guerrero acknowledged in a 2010 interview that his bad habits cut short his playing career. By that time, he said, he had quit drinking and was ready to return to baseball. He coached at various levels from 2011-2014 in the U.S. and Mexico.

Guerrero participated in a Legends game at Dodger Stadium in 2015. In 2016, Guerrero visited Dodger Stadium to throw the ceremonial first pitch prior to a game against the Colorado Rockies in July. He also participated in a Dodgers fantasy camp in Glendale, Arizona.

Petes personality is so wonderful now, said Dodgers broadcaster Orel Hershiser, another of Guerreros former teammates. When you see him come through the other physical issues hes already come through, then when he came out (for the Legends Game) it seemed like he had softened a lot. He was a kinder, gentler spirit.

Source: http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20170404/pedro-guerrero-former-dodgers-star-in-a-coma-after-stroke