Home plate umpire leaves Orioles vs. Astros game after being hit by pitch, causing delay
Home plate umpire Scott Barry left Friday night's game between the Orioles and Astros after getting hit in the mask by a pitch.
Home plate umpire Scott Barry left Friday night’s game between the Orioles and Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park after getting hit in the mask by a pitch.
With Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson facing a 2-2 count in the top of the fourth inning, Astros reliever Shawn Dubin bounced a 90 mph changeup in front of home plate that ricocheted off Barry’s mask. Barry immediately bent over and took a few moments to gather himself before going back behind the plate. Henderson struck out two pitches later to end the inning.
Here's the pitch that caught plate umpire Scott Barry pic.twitter.com/iUG5NqRpxJ
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) June 22, 2024
But before Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez could pitch the bottom of the fourth, Barry left the field with an Astros team trainer, causing a delay that lasted about 15 minutes as second base umpire Tom Hanahan scrambled to put on protective gear to take over behind home plate. Bruce Dreckman remained at first base and David Arrieta at third as part of a three-man umpiring crew.
Rodriguez shook off the delay, striking out the side around a single by shortstop Mauricio Dubón in the fourth, but the right-hander ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing a three-run homer to center fielder Jake Meyers that gave Houston a 5-3 lead.
It was the second delay of the fourth inning after Astros starting pitcher Jake Bloss, a 2023 third-round draft pick out of Georgetown making his major league debut, exited after throwing 79 pitches with an apparent injury. Following a strikeout of Orioles catcher James McCann, the right-hander was visited on the mound by manager Joe Espada and gestured to his right shoulder before leaving the game with a trainer.
The 22-year-old Bloss, just the third member of the 2023 draft class to make his MLB debut this season, allowed two runs on six hits with two strikeouts and one walk in 3 2/3 innings. The game was tied at 2 when he exited, but the Orioles took a 3-2 lead in the fifth against Dubin on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Ryan Mountcastle.
This story might be updated.