FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (August 2, 2017)
Contact: Austin Anderson
219-882-2255 Ext. 229

Corresponding Audio Interview

Alex Crosby had been a cornerstone for the Gary SouthShore RailCats since joining the roster in 2015 as he has played in 135 games in parts of three seasons. He was one of the near-certainties to make manager Greg Tagert’s opening day lineup. On June 27, Alex Crosby was placed on the disabled list. Once Alex began feeling terrible, he went to see a doctor right away.

“The second day after I started feeling bad, my whole body felt like it was shut down,” he said. “I’ve never had that feeling before. So that’s when I went ahead and went to the doctor.”

The initial diagnosis was a stomach virus, but Crosby knew that diagnosis didn’t seem quite right. “I tried to tell [the doctor] that it wasn’t a stomach virus,” said Crosby. “Before that, I was able to eat. After that, I was able to eat. It’s knowing your own body and what’s going on, and I just wasn’t feeling how I felt my whole life.”

This was not the only doctor’s visit Crosby made on the road to a recovery. Crosby made numerous doctor’s visits trying to figure out what the illness was, and he never completely got an answer. He was moved from the disabled list to the inactive list as there appeared to be no end in sight.

Crosby was worried because there was no explanation for the symptoms. Some of these include feeling weak, being lightheaded, shaking, and losing weight—18 pounds to be exact.  
Despite never finding out what the illness exactly was, Crosby gradually improved as regained all the weight that he lost. Even though he is not quite where he wants to be, he is cleared to play baseball and was activated off the inactive list after the all-star break on July 26.

“It didn’t take me too long [to regain weight], my whole family took care of me, and I was eating a lot of food, so I got back to where I was at,” Crosby said.

On the day he was activated, Crosby was inserted into the leadoff spot in the order and recorded a pair of hits. Tagert has utilized him in the leadoff spot numerous times since. Despite not hitting leadoff previously this season, Crosby certainly has experience at the top of the batting order.

“Last year, when Cameron Newell went out [due to injury], I batted leadoff for about two weeks,” he said. “I really enjoyed it actually. Growing up and in high school, I batted leadoff every single game in my career. It’s not a real shocker to me. I only stopped batting leadoff when I went to junior college.”

It does not matter where Crosby hits in the order. Much like many of his teammates, he makes the most of his opportunities offensively.

“It’s exciting to me whatever role I get to have. I am going to take it and do the best I can with it, said Crosby. “I have batted in every position in the lineup, so I am ready to do whatever.”
Crosby’s presence in the lineup has certainly helped the RailCats as the team is 5-2 since his return. He is tied for fourth on the team in batting average since July 20 with a .286 mark. Even though he is hitting well overall, Crosby feels he has not yet hit his stride.
“Not yet, obviously, it takes a little bit,” he said. “But a good thing is that I am not swinging and missing a lot, so that’s important. Once I can find my full rhythm, I feel like I will be a lot better than I’ve been doing lately.”

Gary returns home to U.S. Steel Yard on Thursday, August 3rd for the start of a seven-game homestand. Thursday’s series opener vs. the reigning champion Winnipeg Goldeyes is at 7:10 p.m. and is Strike Out Stroke Night, courtesy of Methodist Hospitals. Right-hander Ayrton Costa (1-1, 6.54) gets the ball for Gary in the series opener while Winnipeg has yet to announce their starter.

Thursday’s game also features a Food Truck Rally and is another Gerber and Thirsty Thursday. Northwest Indiana’s best food trucks will be setup on the concourse during the game and remember to visit your local Northwest Indiana Gerber Collision & Glass for complimentary reserved seat tickets. And don’t forget about our special Miller Lite Thirsty Thursday with discount domestic drafts all around the ballpark!

Jared Shlensky and Austin Anderson bring you all 100 RailCats games this season on WEFM (95.9FM) and online at railcatsbaseball.com. Fans can purchase tickets for RailCats home games by calling (219) 882-BALL or online at railcatsbaseball.com. The RailCats box office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.