Monday’s Labor Day matinee between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox had a scary moment in the top of the first inning when home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez was hit in the facemask by a foul tip. Gonzalez stood up from his crouch after the impact, but quickly dropped to a knee.

The play in question came on a 94 mph fastball from Boston’s Chris Sale, which was fouled off by Rays first baseman Jordan Luplow. The ball appeared to hit Gonzalez at the top of his facemask, right under the edge of his helmet.

Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez prevented Gonzalez from falling and called for a team trainer to check on the umpire. Gonzalez certainly appeared to be dazed and disoriented after being hit, raising concerns that he at least suffered a concussion. He left the game and after a 10-minute delay, Laz Diaz took over home plate umpiring duties.

Boston Globe reporter Alex Speier explained on Twitter that he’s noticed more umpires being injured on foul tips, which would coincide with the number of foul tips increasing this season. It’s another result of pitchers throwing harder than ever and batters swinging and missing more frequently.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Red Sox were involved in another game in which the home plate umpire was struck by a foul tip. During the Aug. 26 game between the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park, Tom Hallion was hit by a foul ball from Xander Bogaerts off a 93 mph fastball.

Hallion was wearing a traditional umpire mask, unlike the helmet Gonzalez used, and left the game to undergo concussion protocols.

No word yet on Gonzalez’s condition or if he needed to be taken from the ballpark. However, it seems pretty fair to presume he’s at least being checked for a concussion.

About Ian Casselberry

Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.