Big league ballparks broil in heat wave

At Wrigley Field, misters in the back of the bleachers tried to cool the crowd. At Yankee Stadium, only one player took batting practice on the field. In Cleveland, rules were relaxed on what fans could bring into the park.

Even for a sport that promotes high heat, Saturday was a scorcher across the major leagues. The National Weather Service said it was part of “a dangerous heat wave” gripping much of the country.

From the Northeast through the Midwest, no player, manager or umpire was spared as temperatures soared near triple digits.

Hours before Baltimore played Boston at sweltering Camden Yards, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde pulled aside starting catcher Chance Sisco and issued a stiff directive.

“I told Chance, ‘Do not go outside until the game starts,’ ” Hyde said.

Sisco went all nine innings Friday night and was in the lineup again while backup Pedro Severino recovers from an illness.

“I told Chance, I don’t want him hustling on and off the field. I want to see him walking,” Hyde said. “When you’re a catcher in these type of games, it’s not easy. After the eighth inning, his face was beet red.”

No relief in sight, either. The temperature was forecast to top 100 degrees for Sunday afternoon’s series finale.

In Chicago, where it was 94 when the Cubs started against San Diego, there was a big ovation in the seventh inning — for the weather.

That’s when the wind suddenly shifted and began blowing in. The temperature immediately dropped and many in the crowd of 40,314 cheered the wind in the Windy City.

For those sitting in the stands with no cover, it was hard to take.

Jaclyn Jendrisak, 31, was in town from St. Louis for a bachelor/bachelorette party. Fortunately for her group, the Cubs created a cooling station in right field.

“Standing in the shade, have some air conditioning blowing on us. We’re sticking to water and not having beer. It’s helping a little bit,” she said.

It also was 94 degrees in New York, the hottest for a Yankees game this season.