We bet umpire John Hirschbeck is feeling a bit sore this morning.
The life of a baseball umpire is not an easy one. You have to make well over a hundred calls in each game and if you get 99 per cent right and just one wrong, you get a lot of abuse from the fans and media.
But the worst part of the job is the danger of being hit by a stray pitch. The umpires are well padded, over and under their clothes, but a baseball travelling at 100mph, at the right angle, will cause a serious pain in the man zone no matter what cup you are wearing.
Last night John Hirschbeck was behind the plate for a game between the Angels and the Rangers. Texas’ AJ Pierzynski was at bat and a pitch by Angels’ Nick Maronde just clipped his bat and flew right into the poor ump.
Cue Hirschbeck collapsing like he had been shot and staying down for almost two minutes as he was ‘treated’ by the Angels medical staff.
Here’s the full video.
And here’s a shorter version.
This isn’t even the first time Hirschbeck has been nailed in that most private of areas. Here’s another one he took a few years ago.
As Homer says, it works on so many levels…
