MLB umpire Larry Vanover from the hospital on Friday after getting hit in the head by a relay throw during a game Wednesday between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees.
Vanover, who was working as a field umpire, was standing between the pitcher’s mound and second base in the fifth inning when the throw from Cleveland second baseman Andres Gimenez struck him and sent him to the ground. Chris Guccione, another umpire at the game, provided an update on Vanover’s status shortly after he was taken to a nearby hospital.
“They’re going to do a concussion test and it sounded like he was coherent and that he knew kind of what was going on,” Guccione told reporters. “But he did have that glazed look on him. He’s going to be at the hospital for the rest of the night maybe. That was scary. Very hard to focus after that after you see a colleague get hit. But they gave me updates and I was like, ‘Alright. He’s good. He’s in safe hands.’ So, we moved on.”
Despite Guccione’s optimistic assessment, Vanover remained in the hospital overnight and has not yet been cleared for release. The 67-year-old umpire was scheduled to work on a Thursday game between the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies but has not passed the league’s health and safety protocols for returning to the field. There is currently no timetable for his return.
Managers Terry Francona and Aaron Boone both offered well wishes to Vanover after the game. Coincidentally, Vanover ejected Boone in the first inning following an argument about a delay during a replay review.
“That looked pretty scary,” Boone said. “He got smoked pretty well. … I hope he’s well.”
Vanover has been working in MLB for 29 years. He was promoted to crew chief in 2015 and umpired the 2016 World Series.
