Edmundo Sosa’s going to owe first-base umpire Junior Valentine a beer after this one.
During Monday’s baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets, play was halted after Sosa accidentally drilled Valentine in the head with a throw to first. On a hard-hit ball down the middle, Sosa gloved the ball and made a spin-o-rama play in an effort to get the ball to first for the out.
Unfortunately, Sosa’s aim was a little off on this play, and instead of getting the ball to first, he beaned Valentine square in the side of the head, dropping him instantly.
Obvious warning on the videos below for a bit of blood and a whole lot of… pain.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before. Edmundo Sosa threw wildly and hit umpire Junior Valentine square in the face 😂 #STLFLY #LGM pic.twitter.com/HDcb6c9BkO
— Tyler Gallo (@TylerAGallo) September 13, 2021
Edmundo Sosa's throw hits the umpire. Luckily he's alright. pic.twitter.com/vYGe6OInJ5
— Justin Groc (@justgroc) September 13, 2021
Thankfully, Valentine was okay — and he stayed in the game, miraculously!!! — as they were able to stop the bleeding and he was able to continue on with his duties.
Valentine’s face, however, definitely took a beating from the entire incident.
Never seen an umpire get beaned by a ball like that and 😳 pic.twitter.com/fjFnW8GIM6
— Evan Sporer (@ev_sporer) September 13, 2021
The injury aside, I think my favorite part of this, personally, is Sosa’s face after his throw knocked Valentine over.
Yep, that is the face of someone who knows they screwed up. Thankfully, Valentine is okay, and hopefully there’s no lingering concussion symptoms or anything, because this could have been a lot worse.
