Terrifying scene at Yankees Stadium on Wednesday … an MLB ump was drilled in the face by a 99-MPH Gerrit Cole fastball — and things did NOT look good for the guy for a while.
The unbelievable moment all went down in the 7th inning of New York’s blowout win over the Toronto Blue Jays … when Cole was looking to strike out Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
On a 3-2 count, Cole threw his trademark heater up in the zone to get the punch-out … but it appeared his catcher, Kyle Higashioka, was expecting a breaking pitch.
The result? The ball screamed past Higashioka’s glove and ended up cracking home plate ump John Tumpane right on the chin.
The video of the throw is scary … you can hear Tumpane let out a huge yelp as the pitch struck his face — with the ump then immediately crumpling to the ground.
The 37-year-old sat on the dirt for a few moments … and got up trying to shake off the hard hit.
Eventually, trainers gave Tumpane the OK to get back in the game … and Cole later apologized after the inning for the cross-up with his catcher.
Phew.
