Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt was hit in the head by a foul ball during the seventh inning of the New York Mets-Minnesota Twins game on Wednesday.
Wendelstedt, 53, was manning first base when Tyrone Taylor slashed a line drive into foul territory. He tried to get out of the way, but the ball hit him off the side of the head.
Wendelstedt immediately went down, and Mets’ first base coach Antoan Richardson frantically signaled towards the Twins’ dugout for medical attention. The Twins athletic trainers tended to him while he lay on the ground.
First base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt is attended to after being hit by a foul ball during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and New York Mets, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Wendelstedt remained down for about a minute or two, and then was helped to his feet and walked off the field with the assistance of the Twins’ athletic trainers while a towel was being held to his head.
After Wendelstedt left the field, the game resumed with only three umpires.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that happen,” Mets’ announcer Gary Cohen said.
BRYCE HARPER FINDS OUT BABY’S GENDER WITH CUSTOM BAT GIVEN BY TEAMMATE
First base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt, center, walks off the field with medical staff after being hit by a foul ball during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and New York Mets, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Taylor ended up grounding out to third base once the at-at resumed.
Wendelstedt is the son of Harry Wendelstedt Jr., who umpired for 33 seasons, from 1966 to 1998.
Hunter Wendelstedt has been umpiring MLB games since 1998 and has umpired in one All-Star game (2011) and a World Series (2014).
Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt on the field during the second inning between the San Diego Padres and the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park on April 2, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
Wednesdays’ game between the Mets and Twins is the final one in a three-game series. The Mets won 5-1 on Monday, and the Twins won 6-3 Tuesday to set up the rubber match.
At the time of this writing, the Twins and Mets are tied 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
