Look: Umpire Accidentally Hits White Sox Player With Bat
HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 17: Umpires review a fan interference call in the first inning during Game Four of the American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on October 17, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Umpires and referees may be neutral in MLB games, but that doesn't mean they can't accidentally cause harm to players. An incident at one of today's games is pretty solid proof of that.
During a game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago White Sox, a White Sox runner was rounding third and heading for home while the ball was in play. The hitter's bat was still at the plate though, so the referee quickly picked it up to toss it away.
What the referee didn't seem to realize was that on-deck batter Jose Abreu was moving around behind him, trying to get away from the play. The referee tossed the bat behind himself, and nailed Abreu right in the knee.
Abreu immediately went to the ground in pain. The referee had his eyes on the play and did not look back to see Abreu as the White Sox runner hit home plate.
It's a pretty nasty hit to be sure.
By the looks of things it was clearly a complete accident from the umpire's fault. However, some are blaming Abreu for not being more mindful of where he was in that moment.
Others have pointed out that the umpire won't get penalized for what he did, while a baseball player would almost certainly be fined and punished for making an identical mistake.
Hopefully Abreu wasn't injured by what happened. We've seen plenty of athletes who have been injured by less harmful referee mistakes.
