A first-base umpire was hit with a line drive foul ball during Wednesday’s game between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Mets.
Hunter Wendelstedt was forced to leave the game after being hit in the top of the seventh inning, according to the New York Post.
Wendelstedt was on the ground for several minutes after taking the line drive shot to the head.
Mets first base coach Antoan Richardson called for help. Wendelstedt eventually walked off the field with assistance.
Scary moment from todays Mets VS Cardinals game as 1B umpire Hunter Wendelstedt takes a 90mph baseball off the head pic.twitter.com/my7wGmfxFt
— Paul (@PaulyMets) April 16, 2025
He was “coherent, speaking,” crew chief Todd Tichenor said.
“That was scary,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after his team’s 4-3 loss in 10 innings.
“Briefly, I asked as soon as the game was over. Every time you see something like that, it’s just scary. So I’m glad that he’s doing well. Praying for him,” he said.
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According to a statement from Major League Baseball posted on MLB.com, “Hunter is undergoing additional tests in Minneapolis, and we are encouraged that he was in good spirits when he was in touch with our medical staff. We will continue to monitor his status.”
One social media poster commented, “Scary moment from todays Mets VS Cardinals game as 1B umpire Hunter Wendelstedt takes a 90mph baseball off the head.”
“I saw it like I was watching it in slow motion,” Mets center field Tyrone Taylor, who hit that ball, said, according to the New York Post. “It was just scary.”
“It feels like it was my fault,” he said.
“Hopefully it’s just some stitches is what I’m thinking,” Tichenor said, according to the Daily News. “That hit him solid in the head. It was scary.”
Wendelstedt underwent concussion protocol.
“I would like to wish him the best and say we’re all thinking about him,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said after the game. “I was glad to see him walk off the field under his own power. That was better than the alternative.”
Helmets have been worn by coaches at first and third bases since 2008, when a Texas Rangers minor league coach was killed by a line drive one year earlier.
Umpires at the bases do not wear helmets.
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