The Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies are playing tonight at Coors Field and a supremely strange thing happened in the top of the third inning. Home plate umpire Brian O'Nora halted the game and proceeded to jog into the clubhouse. He didn't return.
Check this out:
There's been no explanation of what happened but, as stated, O'Nora did not return and fellow umpire Tom Hanahan changed into protective gear and got behind home plate.
We're just assuming O'Nora suddenly wasn't feeling well and had to get off the field, but I've never seen play halted in the middle of an inning for that. Usually an umpire will leave the game between innings unless something physical happens -- like getting hit by a ball, etc.
Speculation online was that O'Nora just had to use the bathroom badly. While that's a funny angle, it wouldn't explain why he didn't return. We should get some clarification after the game finishes, but this was really odd.
We have a lot of fun with MLB umpires around these parts, but we hope O'Nora is OK.
This article was originally published on thebiglead as Umpire Brian O'Nora Abruptly Ran Off the Field in the Middle of An Inning.
