Major League Baseball careers are often invaded with critical injuries. But those should come to an end when your MLB days are over, right? Well, evidently not. A former Yankees star has just learned the hard way that his bad days are still not over.
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“I thought my days of bad hops were over.. guess not 🤣,” Matt Carpenter posted a video of a “Whoops-y Daisy” moment on social media.
The 14-second clip showed Carpenter throwing a pitch at his son’s team during an April 7 practice game. The batter returned it with a line drive before starting towards first base. Unfortunately for Matt, the ball came straight at him and hit him in the groin area before he could react.
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He fell to the ground as an infielder picked up the ball and threw it to first base. The video went viral on several platforms and garnered millions of views within hours. Carpenter’s dig at himself from a T-ball game injury made it the most famous injury after his 14-year-long MLB career.
Matt Carpenter made his major league debut in MLB with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. He earned multiple offensive accolades in his 12 years with the team, including a Silver Slugger in 2013. The 3x All-Star joined the New York Yankees in May 2022 for a phenomenal season.
He made the franchise record by hitting 13 homers in the first 30 games. He ultimately retired in 2025 after spending one season with the Cardinals as a veteran mentor. But even after stepping away from the sport, the bad moments persist.
I thought my days of bad hops were over.. guess not 🤣 pic.twitter.com/fHLAzisphA
— Matt Carpenter (@MattCarp13) April 8, 2026
But this time, it’s not big league pressure, but rather just dad life for the former star. Acting as a coach pitch is quite hard, but Carpenter didn’t expect the difficulty of this level. It might have reminded him of when he caused a similar incident.
Back in 2019, he fouled a 99-mph sinker from Mets’ Noah Syndergaard, which turned into a low blow for plate umpire Brian O’Nora. He caused a 10-minute injury delay as O’Nora had to be replaced.
But Matt Carpenter has been on the receiving end of many injuries during his career. Most of which were much more adverse than the one from his son’s game.
Matt Carpenter’s joke lands because his “bad hops” weren’t always funny
The slugger’s biggest injury was during his tenure with the Yankees. He fouled a ball to his left foot in August 2022. The broken bone sidelined him for the rest of the regular season. He, however, was able to come back for the postseason and was activated to play six games.
But the most common concern was his oblique strain, which he suffered multiple times during his Cardinals days. He had to recover for around a month each in 2012, 2016, and in his final season.
Carpenter also suffered minor setbacks due to a foot contusion and elbow inflammation. And he suffered even before earning a spot in the big leagues as well. Matt underwent a Tommy John during his college days.
These injuries not only interrupted his playing time but disrupted his rhythm as well. But as it turns out, the game interruptions aren’t over yet.
Baseball doesn’t stop humbling you, and Matt Carpenter learned it the hard way. At least, this time, the blow came with a laugh.
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Edited by
Arunaditya Aima