(NEXSTAR) – An umpire at Tuesday’s Angels-Dodgers game was forced to leave in the last inning after he was struck in the face by a broken bat.
Umpire Nate Tomlinson was behind home plate when LA Angels slugger Mike Trout shattered his bat after smacking the ball into the outfield. Images show a piece of the splintered bat catching Tomlinson in the face, right between the bars of his mask.
Trout, initially unsure of what to do, eventually ran to first base. The game was delayed while Tomlinson was attended to.
Tomlinson eventually walked off the field, and was replaced for the remainder of the game by second-base umpire Laz Diaz.
Images taken after Tomlinson’s injury show blood near his right eye. Tomlinson was also seen holding a towel to his nose.
“Never seen that in the mask,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts remarked of the incident after the game, which the Dodgers won 2-0. “That was really scary.”
The Dodgers play the Angels again Wednesday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
