Mike Trout's broken bat strikes home plate umpire Nate Tomlinson in face mask in scary moment
In a scary scene during Tuesday's Freeway Series opener between the Dodgers and Angels, home plate umpire Nate Tomlinson was struck in the face by a broken bat and forced to leave in the ninth inning.
Tomlinson fell to his knees when a shard of Mike Trout's bat hit Tomlinson between the bars of his mask, cutting his face just above his eye and nose. He managed to avoid serious injury, his crew says.
A shocked Trout was reluctant to run to first base when he saw what happened on the play. Blood trickled down Tomlinson’s face before he walked off the field, causing a brief delay.
Second base ump Laz Diaz took over behind the plate.
"Never seen that in the mask,'' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after his team's 2-0 win. "That was really scary.''
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Scary moment in LA.
Home plate umpire accidentally takes Mike Trout’s bat to the face. Hope nothing is serious. pic.twitter.com/TMVYgKG08Y— Starting 9 (@Starting9) June 15, 2022
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB umpire exits game after he was struck in face by Mike Trout's bat
