Umpire David Rackley had a dream come true on Tuesday night when he called balls and strikes in a World Series game for the first time in his career, but his memorable night also took a painful turn in the seventh inning.
In the bottom of the inning, Arizona’s Alek Thomas barely caught a piece of a low changeup from Texas’ Cody Bradford and tipped it foul. The ball eluded catcher Jonah Heim’s glove and bounced up to hit Rackley right in a spot you really don’t want to be hit in.
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The microphones behind home plate caught Rackley letting out a pained “Aww, jeez.”
Nut shots are always funny.
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Unless they're your nuts.
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Rackley actually managed to shake off the groin shot pretty well. Heim checked on the ump to make sure he was O.K. and then Rackley calmly said, “Let me brush the plate off here.”
Rackley was moving around pretty well for a guy who just got hit below the belt, and the majority of the fans in the stands probably had no idea what had happened. Because the game was such a blowout, though (10–1 at that point), the crowd was quiet enough that the broadcast microphones were able to pick up Rackley’s exchange with Heim. That might be the only upside of a World Series game devoid of drama.
