OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The father of LSU pitcher Jared Poche’ helped revive an 87-year-old man who was slumped on the TD Ameritrade Park concourse with no pulse during Game 1 of the College World Series finals.
Dr. Jerry Poche’ of Lutcher, Louisiana, was in Section 117 when he was summoned by another LSU fan in the sixth inning of the Tigers’ game against Florida on Monday night.
“I see an older gentleman being held up by his family, and they said he’s weak,” Poche’ said Tuesday. “He wasn’t weak. He didn’t have a pulse, and he had (laboring) respirations. He was dying.”
Poche’ said he began doing chest compressions, and Jimmy Roy, a firefighter who is the father of LSU strength and conditioning coach Travis Roy, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for five to seven minutes until medics arrived.
“He started breathing on his own a little and his pulse came back, and we were fortunate we were able to revive him,” Poche’ said.
LSU spokesman Bill Franques said the man was a Florida fan who had an apparent heart attack.
Nebraska Medical Center spokesman Taylor Wilson said the man, who was not identified, was in good condition. He did not want to speak with the media, Wilson said, but his family was very appreciative of the effort to help save him. The Advocate newspaper of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, first reported the medical emergency.
Poche’, a family doctor who has been in private practice for 25 years, said he has tended to three other people during this year’s CWS: A 6-year-old boy who was hit in the forehead by a foul ball, a fan with a bug in his ear and a man who passed out from apparent dehydration.
“I’m just watching the game, and someone comes up and says, ‘Hey, man, we need you again,'” Poche’ said, laughing. “Whatever. I do what I got to do.”
Jared Poche’ was tabbed as the starting pitcher Tuesday night as the Tigers try to even the best-of-three series at a game apiece. Dr. Poche’ was hoping it’s a quiet night on the medical front so he can focus on the game.
“That’s the plan, right?” he said.