Umpire Ed Hickox reflexes potentially saved his life on Wednesday afternoon with his quick reflexes.
During Wednesday’s Grapefruit League game between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets, Hilcox came awfully close to getting seriously injured when a Bryce Harper line drive narrowly missed hitting him in the face while he was positioned near first base. The veteran umpire’s instant reaction to the play was impressive as he leaned out of the way just in time.
Take a look at the play for yourself.
Hilcox should be applauded for his cat-like reflexes and avoiding injury, but the dangerous play once again brings up the issue of umpire safety. If he hadn’t avoided the screaming line drive, Hickox could have suffered a serious head injury or worse. Time and time again, we see umpires getting hit with balls and suffering injuries due to lack of protection.
Major League Baseball should be ensuring that its umpires are properly protected if they’re in the line of fire. Wednesday’s incident proves that. Hilcox is lucky to walk away from the incident unharmed, but if the ball was inches closer to his face, he may have suffered a grave injury. It took a death in minor league baseball to implement a helmet rule for coaches, and shouldn’t take the same thing to get a similar rule implemented for umpires.
Hilcox’s reaction was undoubtedly impressive, but not every umpire will be as lucky in avoiding potentially lethal line drives. It’s time for the league to change its rulebook and make umpiring safer.
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