Baseball umpire Nick Mahrley was carried off the field in a neck brace at Yankee Stadium on Sunday after Giancarlo Stanton was hit in the back of the head with a broken bat.
Stanton’s bat broke as he hit the ball, but it didn’t break in two until the end of his swing. Then the bat struck the side of umpire Mahrley’s face, knocking his grill to the ground.
Replays showed the bat hitting him in the side of his head and neck.
Mahrley initially tried to get back up to watch the game, but fell back to the ground. After a lengthy medical layoff, he was fitted with a neck brace and carried off the field to applause from Yankee Stadium.
The game was stopped for about 16 minutes in the fifth inning between the New York Yankees and Colorado Rockies.
Nick Mahrley was carried off in shocking scenes with a neck brace at Yankee Stadium
Yankees batter Giancarlo Stanton’s bat broke and flew into the umpire’s face during his backswing
The match was stopped for about 16 minutes on Sunday so that Mahrley could receive help
When play resumed, crew chief Marvin Hudson took over behind the plate. Second base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt moved from second base to first base.
Mahrley, 41, played 473 games as a referee before being given a permanent position last season.
The Rockies tweeted: “Best wishes to umpire Nick Mahrley.”
The Yankees were leading 4-3 at the time of the incident and Aaron Judge hit his 50th home run of the season in the first inning.
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