So I am sitting casually watching the Dodger game which the Dodgers had all but wrapped up in the first inning when they scored ten runs. All of a sudden I see the umpire fall over like a sack of bricks and fall flat on his back after a pitch. Almost instantly I see the third base umpire sprint towards home plate, with his crewmates not too far behind. Dodger catcher Russell Martin and pitcher Brad Penny ran up and the Dodger trainer came flying out of the dugout. The only things I could think of was Mike Coolbaugh, how hard I know Brad Penny can throw a baseball, the fact that he is standing 60 feet 6 inches away. I know umps wear masks, but what if it caught him right in the neck like Rockies minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh and killed him?
For a while I was silent, hoping this wasn't the case, but for the moment it was a very eeire scene to be a part of. 50,000 fans were dead quiet. Soon I knew based on the body language of the people on the field that the umpire wasn't dead. As he was loaded on the ambulance that drove directly on the field he gave the crowd a thumbs up sign.
The umpires name is Kerwin Danley, and he was hit by a fastball clocked at 96 miles an hour, when the Dodger battery got their signals crossed. He was hit directly on his jaw which was protected by a mask, this was the equivalent of him taking a punch. He was released this morning and he is doing fine.
2 comments:
Oh, my gosh, Garrett, that must have been horrible to witness. I am so glad he is doing OK.
Love, Sandy
very scary, indeed. I read a couple of days ago that he wasn't quite ready to come back yet because of headaches but he was not afraid to climb back behind the plate. Hope he will be back soon. Love ya, Susan
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