SportsBaseball major league baseballinjury

MLB Umpire Joe West Bleeds From Ear After Bo Bichette Accidentally Hits Him With Bat

Although the ump briefly left the game, he was back by the third inning.
Open Image Modal
By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

A major league umpire is recovering from a head injury after a player accidentally hit him in the ear during an at-bat.

Joe West was smacked in his left ear on Thursday while calling a game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Washington Nationals.

The blow to the noggin happened when Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette was at the plate and lost control of the bat, according to Bleacher Nation.

The bat flew out of Bichette’s hands and smacked West in the face, as the video below demonstrates.

The end result wasn’t pretty...

Although West briefly left the game, he was back by the third inning. However, he was stationed at third base, not home plate, according to CBS Sports.

West, 67, had the option of not working this season since his age and health history put him at a higher risk if he contracts COVID-19, according to CBS Boston.

But he told The Athletic before the season began that he’d been in baseball so long that he wasn’t going to stop now.

Support HuffPost

At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.

Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.

Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your will go a long way.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip