sad news: Prayers Pouring in for MLB Mega Star Who Was Taken to the Hospital Due to Gruesome Injury
It’s not exactly the simplest job in the world to be an MLB plate umpire—crouching down behind a catcher, next to a hitter, and waiting for a variety of pitches at varying speeds and moves. It needs meticulous care. But occasionally, it’s also not the safest work either. One of the worst ways for lead umpire Nick Mahrley to learn that was during the Sunday-day game between the Colorado Rockies and New York Yankees.
With one out and runners on first and second in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Yankees led 4-3. Right-handed Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton was hit by a knuckle curveball from Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber on a 1-1 count. The pitch resulted in a bloop single to left field, putting the Yankees on base. But as soon as Mahrley was spotted kneeling on the ground, play was abruptly stopped. Stanton’s bat cracked and fractured as he made a swing. Mahrley fell to the ground instantly after Stanton’s bat struck him in the neck and throat with its upper half.
Mahrley was carried off the field on a stretcher, and the Yankees medical staff is currently evaluating him.
Stanton is renowned for his powerful swing, even if he shouldn’t take any of the responsibility. Stanton topped the exit velocity charts right away after MLB Statcast launched in 2015. Baseball Savant reports that he is averaging an exit velocity of 94.6 mph this season. He hit a home run at 119.9 mph in May of this year, which ranks as the fifth-hardest hit home run in the Statcast era.
It should come as no surprise that Stanton, 34, led the list of bat speed numbers added by Statcast, averaging 80.6 mph, according to ESPN. The 41-year-old Mahrley has officiated 473 games as a call-up. He started working as a full-time umpire in 2023.
