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Home Plate Umpire Nick Mahrley Carted Off Field After Getting Hit By Broken Bat

In the fifth inning of Sunday afternoon's showdown between the New York Yankees and Colorado Rockies, a piece of Giancarlo Stanton's broken bat hit home plate umpire Nick Mahrley in the neck.

Sam Connon

Jun 11, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; MLB home plate umpire Nick Mahrley (48) calls a play to start in the fifth inning between the San Diego Padres against against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Jun 11, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; MLB home plate umpire Nick Mahrley (48) calls a play to start in the fifth inning between the San Diego Padres against against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
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Home plate umpire Nick Mahrley was carter off the field in the fifth inning of Sunday afternoon's game between the New York Yankees and Colorado Rockies.

Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton was at the plate with two men on and two outs in the bottom of the frame. On a 1-1 count, Stanton swung at a knuckle curve low and inside and blooped it into left field for a single.

Stanton's bat snapped right above his hands, though, and the barrel went flying over his shoulder. The shard clipped Mahrley's facemask, then struck him in the neck.

Rockies catcher Drew Romo, appearing in his fifth MLB game, immediately checked on Mahrley, even as the ball was in play. Romo left to cover home plate, then Jazz Chisholm Jr. came over from the on-deck circle to attend to him as well.

Mahrley went down to one knee during the play. The umpire was given a neck brace and eventually taken off the field in a cart.

The crowd at Yankee Stadium gave Mahrley a standing ovation as he was being carted off. The Rockies, meanwhile, wished Mahrley the best from their official social media accounts.

Mahrley's crew shifted around to take over his duties in his absence, with Marvin Hudson and Hunter Wendelstedt each changing roles. The Yankees then failed to score any runs from the bases-loaded scenario.

New York came through later on, as Juan Soto and Aaron Judge went back-to-back in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Yankees now lead 7-3 in the bottom of the eighth.

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Sam Connon

SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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