The Braves vs. the Marlins game on Monday saw back-to-back horrors in the second innings. Long before the Braves got completely outplayed by the Miami side, the plate umpire faced not one but two foul tips on the face in the same inning. The impacts were so severe that he had to retire from the game.

“Umpire Alfonso Marquez was struck in the face by two foul tips in the same inning and forced to exit the game,” Jomboy Media captioned the clip on X. 

The Atlanta Braves lost their first road game against the Marlins 12-0. But the primary focus was on Marquez. Before either team scored, Miami starter Max Meyer threw a slider to Braves third baseman Austin Riley. The slider bounced on top of his bat and hit Alfonso Marquez straight in the face mask. 

The umpire removed his helmet and tried to move his jaw. The broadcaster uttered “ouch,” as the pain was visible. But Marquez walked it off. Unfortunately, the suffering wasn’t over. 

Later in the same inning, Meyer threw a 91-mph slider to Mauricio Dubón. For the viewers, it felt like a replay as the foul tip hit the plate umpire in the face, again. Both Dubón and catcher Joe Mack had a concerned look on their faces. Marquez was seen holding his jaw, trying to absorb the impact. Although the ball hit his mask, the pain was too much to ignore.

Medical staff came to check on him, and they were trying to figure out the level of suffering when Marquez opened and closed his jaws. The game had to stop for 16 minutes, and Marquez could not continue. The teams had to continue with just three officials. Mike Estabrook moved from first base to behind the plate to take over Marquez. Jonathan Parra took Estabrook’s place from the second, and Lance Barrett continued at third base. 

The whole thing was too scary for many people. Getting hit behind the plate is a common occurrence in baseball. But having two right on the face dials it up to eleven. Some fans even prayed that it wasn’t too serious and wished for a quick return for the umpire. 

But this isn’t a standalone incident in the major league. In fact, there are approximately 150 known cases of umpires leaving games after being struck by a thrown or batted ball. 

MLB’s growing umpire safety concerns keep returning to the spotlight

C.B. Bucknor was hit in the face with a 100.2-mph fastball on April 1, 2026, during a Rays-Brewers game. He returned to the field, but Bucknor moved to first base, unable to continue at the plate. Within four days of that incident, Ron Kulpa took a similar hit during a Marlins-Yankees game. But it was much worse for him as Kulpa had a concussion and was sidelined for a week. 

Even Brian O’Nora had a nasty foul tip to the right side of his jaw two nights ago. He had concussion-like symptoms and is undergoing evaluation. There is still no update on when he can return. And it’s not just the plate umpires. Even the catchers get hit by 4 or 5 foul balls on an average bad day.

But the players usually get much more attention when they are injured. And these days, particularly after the introduction of ABS, the umpires usually make the headlines for their mistakes. But these injuries show that they are human beings like everyone else. And like every other player, they too deserve protection. 

Notably, there was an incident in Japan a month ago when an NPB umpire was admitted to the ICU after an accidental bat slip hit him in the side of the head. The organization promptly announced urgent safety reviews for the plate umpires. 

Unfortunately, we have seen Hunter Wendelstedt being hit by a line drive while officiating from first base in 2025. He was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. But we haven’t heard any serious announcement from MLB regarding the safety aspects for the umpires. 

The Alfonso Marquez incident proved how durable the umpires are and how dangerous their job is. The way he tried to walk off the first hit was commendable. But it has also once again exposed the lack of safety measures in MLB.