MLB umpire CB Bucknor was having a bad week already when he took to the field for Wednesday’s game between Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays.
But it got a lot worse in the second inning in a frightening scene where a foul ball from Nick Fortes, following a pitch of over 100mph by Jacob Misiorowski, hit him in the mask from point-blank range.
Bucknor, 63, fell to his hands and knees as Brewers catcher William Contreras immediately spun around to help him. Athletic trainers also raced over and Bucknor was helped to his feet, looking groggy, before he was helped off the field for further treatment.
Overall, there was a delay of around 15 minutes before first base umpire Chad Fairchild replaced Bucknor behind the plate.
The incident comes amid growing scrutiny on Bucknor amid the league’s introduced of the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system (ABS).
On Saturday, the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds successfully overturned six of eight challenges on Bucknor’s ball and strike calls.
MLB umpire CB Bucknor was hit in the mask by a 100mph foul ball in a game on Wednesday
It has been a tough week for the veteran umpire, who has made a string of controversial calls
Replays showed the ball smashing into Bucknor’s mask before he went down hurt
He then called Trevor Story out for a checked swing and with the Red Sox out of challenges, Storey and his coach Alex Cora erupted at Bucknor.
Cora was ejected, but continued his feud with Bucknor after the game.
‘He has one job to do, call balls and strikes,’ Cora said to reporters. ‘It wasn’t his best day. That’s what the system does. It’s out there, everybody sees it, and he’ll be the first one to accept it.’
Things got worse for Bucknor on Tuesday when he was first base umpire for the Brewers-Rays.
He bizarrely ruled Jake Bauers out for missing the bag when he ran to first base. Replays showed very quickly that Bucknor was incorrect and the Brewers successfully challenged the call.
But on Wednesday night, he was receiving sympathy from both teams after a nasty incident. Bucknor has been an umpire since 1996.
