MLB plate umpire Nick Mahrley was carted off the field in the fifth inning of Sunday’s game between the New York Yankees and Colorado Rockies after he was hit in the neck by a shattered bat from Yankees’ DH Giancarlo Stanton.
With the Yankees leading, 4-3, Stanton hit a broken-bat single into left field off Rockies starter Austin Gomber. The barrel of Stanton’s bat snapped off at the handle and rotated around to hit Mahrley in the neck and the side of his head, knocking his facemask off. As seen in social media footage, Mahrley immediately fell down and was attended to by New York’s athletic training staff. Mahrley was conscious and able to move his arms as he was placed on a stretcher with his head and neck in a brace. Crew chief Marvin Hudson took over behind the plate when play resumed, with second base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt moving from second base to first base.
The nature of Mahrley’s injury and condition wasn’t immediately clear; however, the Yankees said he was undergoing a full battery of tests and being evaluated by the team’s medical staff. The 41-year-old Mahrley worked 473 games as a callup umpire until becoming a full-time umpire before last season.
The Yankees went on to defeat the Rockies 10-3, hitting five home runs.
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