Umpire Mike Everitt was working home plate in the bottom of the third inning of Tuesday night’s White Sox-Nationals game when a 95-mph fastball from Reynaldo López somehow missed both Trea Turner’s bat and catcher James McCann’s glove and smashed directly into his breast pocket, obliterating the pen tucked away there. It looked like López and McCann somehow got crossed up, to the extent that McCann was flinching by the time the ball passed his glove:
The game briefly came to a halt as fellow umpires and trainers raced over to check on Everitt’s condition. Everitt looked a little frazzled but decided to stay in the game for the remainder of the half-inning. After the side was retired, Everitt made his way off the field, accompanied by trainers, and it was soon announced that he would be replaced behind the plate by the second-base umpire. Once again the game was halted to facilitate the switch:
While it’s funny when umpires take foul tips to the dick and balls, a fastball to the chest is serious business. Commotio Cordis is a term that refers to heart arrhythmia caused by a blow to the chest, and according to the Korey Stringer Institute it is extremely dangerous and often fatal. There’s been no indication that Everitt experienced anything on this scale, but he can certainly be forgiven for wanting to get the hell off the field, and taking the rest of the night off.