A Nippon Professional Baseball umpire experienced a sudden and violent incident that landed him in intensive care. A foul made Takuto Kawakami lose consciousness during a routine game. And the severity of the incident has NPB considering serious changes for the plate umpires. 

An accidental bat slip struck Kawakami in the head. He immediately collapsed behind the plate and was admitted to the ICU later.

The Tokyo Yakult Swallows were facing the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in the Meiji Jingu Stadium on Thursday. The incident took place in the 8th inning of the game, when the Swallows batter José Osuna fouled a pitch. He swung and missed while the bat slipped from his hand. 

It directly hit umpire Kawakami to the left temporal region. He immediately went down as the medical staff rushed in. The entire dugout and the stadium were up on their feet with nothing but concern in their eyes. After some temporary treatment behind the sheets, Kawakami was finally taken to the hospital. 

NPB officially termed this as an “extremely serious matter.” The organization announced an urgent safety review of the equipment used by the plate umpires.

Kawakami was wearing the wired mask, and the league is now considering using helmet-style full protection for the officials. 

The bat slip was purely accidental. There was no intentional movement from Osuna. Hence, it was not registered as an interference, and no penalty was awarded. That’s why the organization is taking this so seriously.  

NPB’s official statement about reviewing the safety protocols came on April 17, a day after the incident.

While the organization prayed for a smooth recovery for the umpire, there has been no update on his current situation. 

The Japanese league used this incident as a systematic wake-up call. They reacted immediately, considering the necessary measures to avoid such unfortunate events. Now that draws a fine line between NPB and MLB.

With standard masks under scrutiny, will MLB learn from NPB?

The masks used by plate umpires come with wire-framing and are typically intended for frontal protection. These masks don’t protect the side of the head. 

That made sense until now, since the balls are thrown directly toward them. But NPB realized that frontal protection is not enough, and they are already thinking of offering full protection to the umps. 

Unfortunately, we have observed similar mishaps in MLB over the years.

In 2016, plate umpire Paul Emmel was hit at the top of his head by a slipped bat. He was bleeding and had to have stitches. 

Brian O’Nora had a very similar incident in 2021 in a Rockies vs Padres game. The direct hit resulted in a concussion, and he had to miss several weeks. Nick Mahrley was behind the plate during a Yankees and Rockies game in 2024. He was struck in the side of his head and neck by the barrel from Giancarlo Stanton’s shattered bat. Mahrley was carted off the field as he suffered a concussion. 

MLB umpires use similar masks to the Japanese ones.

But the major league organization hasn’t taken or announced any significant steps to address the issue. The protective gears aren’t mere regulations. They are an integral part of the game.

However, if NPB begins trial with improved protection, MLB might follow suit.