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14 Sep, 2021 08:48

‘Never seen this in my life’: Baseball umpire left bloodied after taking brutal throw to the head (VIDEO)

‘Never seen this in my life’: Baseball umpire left bloodied after taking brutal throw to the head (VIDEO)

There were concerning scenes at the game between the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night after an errant throw floored an umpire and left him bleeding from the side of his face.

Fielding a ball struck by the Mets’ Francisco Lindor in the bottom of the second inning, Cardinals shortstop Edmundo Sosa swept up the ball before firing it wildly towards first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

But instead of finding his teammate's mitt, Sosa drilled the ball directly into the head of Junior Valentine, whose attention was focused on the base and the runner.

Valentine collapsed to the floor disturbingly before getting up and wiping blood from the side of his face.

Thankfully the damage didn’t appear serious as Valentine received treatment and the game was stopped for several minutes at Citi Field Park.

The resolute umpire resumed his duties to complete the game, even flashing a smile at the cameras. 

Fans online were amazed by the scenes – with some saying this was a baseball first for them.

“Never seen an umpire get rocked in the face by an infielder’s throw. Wow,” said sportswriter Gary Sheffield Jr.

Elsewhere, fans argued about who was to blame as some claimed the umpire should have been more aware of his surroundings, while others said his eyes were fixed exactly where they should have been.

Some saluted Valentine's resilience, with one fan writing: "Dude stayed in? What is he The Terminator?"

"More grit than most players these days," added another. 

The Mets were routed 7-0 by the Cardinals in New York to open their three-game series, bringing the hosts back down to earth after their remarkable win over crosstown rivals the Yankees on Sunday night.

Both teams are still bidding to clinch a playoff series spot.

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