MLB fans are offering support for umpire Larry Vanover after he was hit with a by during Wednesday’s New York Yankees-Cleveland Guardians game.
In the top of the fifth inning, Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka hit a deep ball that bounced off the centerfield wall which scored two runs. Cleveland second baseman Andrés Giménez attempted to throw the ball home, but the ball wound up striking Vanover in the head.
Despite the speed of the throw from Giménez, Vanover got up quickly. You can see a clip of the play below:
Per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, umpire Chris Guccione stated that Vanover had “a pretty good-sized knot” on the head. Though Vanover was taken to a local hospital to undergo testing, per Kuty.
Baseball fans quickly took to Twitter to offer support for the 67-year-old umpire.
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Vanover has been a Major League umpire since 1991. He served as an umpire for the 2016 World Series, the 2009 and 2023 World Baseball Classic tournaments, the 2009 and 2013 All-Star Games and three league Championship Series’.
The Yankees went on to win 4-3, with Oswaldo Cabrera recording the game-winning hit in the top of the ninth which scored Gleyber Torres. The victory improved the Yankees to 8-4 on the season, while Cleveland fell to 7-6.
New York will open a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, while Cleveland will travel to Washington to begin a three-game series with the Nationals on Friday.
Here’s hoping Vanover is okay and recovers quickly from the injury.