Home plate umpire Nate Tomlinson was forced to leave Tuesday night’s game between the Dodgers and the Angels after being struck in the face by the broken bat of Angels slugger Mike Trout.
In the top of the ninth inning with one out, Trout managed to knock a broken bat single off of Dodgers closer Craig Kimbrel. A large portion of the 30-year-old’s bat went backwards and hit Tomlinson between the bars of his facemask.
Tomlinson dropped to his knees after the contact and grabbed at his face. Trout, who saw what happened, ran reluctantly to first base.
Dodgers trainer Nate Lucero came out to examine Tomlinson after the frightening moment. The game was delayed as blood trickled down the umpire’s face before he walked off the field under his own power.
Second base ump Laz Diaz took over behind the plate after Tomlinson left the game.
“In the mask, the broken part of the bat, that was really scary,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said postgame, per The Athletic. “I heard that it hit his nose, Nate. And so that’s, I guess, the best-case scenario. A very scary moment.”
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Tomlinson was taken to the emergency on Tuesday night. His crew told Nightengale that he managed to avoid a serious injury.
