THE New York Yankees game was halted for some time after an umpire got hit by a broken bat.
The alarming sequence occurred in the bottom of the 5th inning between the Yankees and Colorado Rockies in the Bronx.
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton swung at a pitch and on his follow-through, his bat broke.
The bat barrelled toward the home plate umpire Nick Mahlrey, who was struck in the neck area.
Stanton had lofted the ball into shallow left field for a run-scoring single off Rockies pitcher Austin Gomber.
But the TV cameras showed Mahlrey, who was seen down on the ground.
He was attended to by the Yankees medical staff and was put onto a stretcher.
Mahlrey received cheers from the crowd on his way out of the stadium.
He was spotted wearing what was believed to be a neck brace.
The crew chief Marvin Hudson took over Mahlrey’s spot after previously being the first base umpire.
Second base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt moved from second base to first base.
The condition of Mahrley has yet to be revealed.
The 41-year-old Mahrley made his MLB umpire debut in 2017.
He worked 473 games as a call-up umpire before becoming a full-time employee in 2022.
The Yankees beat the Rockies 10-3 in the Sunday afternoon game.
Superstar Aaron Judge hit his 51st and 52nd home runs in the contest.
The 31-year-old is on his way to receiving his second MVP of his career, posting a .332 batting average and an astounding 1.204 OPS.
Judge’s last home run came in the middle of a back-to-back-to-back home-run barrage in the seventh inning.
Fellow superstar Juan Soto smacked a home run before Judge and Stanton clubbed round-trippers, respectively.
New York won their 77th game of the season and sit in first place in the AL East.
They are just one game in front of the 76-55 Baltimore Orioles.