At every level of baseball, players are reminded to be aware of their surroundings while in the on-deck circle. And on Sunday, we saw exactly why players need to take that warning to heart.
During the fourth inning of the Orioles’ game against the Rays, Baltimore second baseman Jorge Mateo was forced to exit the game after he took Cedric Mullins’ bat to the back of the head.
The incident was a clear accident from Mullins. The Orioles outfielder was in the on-deck circle and didn’t realize that Mateo was behind him and leaning forward to grab a bat weight. Mullins swung his bat down and struck Mateo on the back of the helmet.
Jorge Mateo had to exit today’s game after Cedric Mullins accidentally hit him in the helmet with a bat pic.twitter.com/RoGtaHkTnb
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 2, 2024
Thankfully, Mateo was wearing a helmet, but the contact was still enough to leave him in pain. He was removed from the game and replaced by Ramon Urias who struck out on the ensuing at-bat.
Hopefully Mateo will be fine after the scary moment. And that will serve as a reminder for every player to be aware of their surroundings while swinging a bat.
