Crooked Numbers: April in the Minors (link to article)

 

"The purpose of "Crooked Numbers" is to take a look back at the month that was in the Minor Leagues, highlighting some of the many curious and absurd incidents that have taken place."

 

 

Some interesting stories, including this one...

 

 

You Learn Something New Every Day: On April 23, the Greensboro Grasshoppers defeated the Asheville Tourists, 8-7, in 14 innings. The game was a wild affair on many levels -- first baseman Bo Bowman pitched the 14th for the Tourists and took the loss, for example -- but the most memorable aspect of the contest was that pitchers from both teams filled in as pinch-umpires.

 

Below is an excerpt from the story written on the game:

 

This rare, but not unprecedented, occurrence was the result of a scary event that took place in the sixth inning. Home plate umpire Koyu Inoue was struck in the head by a foul ball and knocked unconscious, and the ballgame was delayed for 47 minutes while he was attended to on the field. Inoue was taken to a hospital for observation, but returned to the ballpark later in the evening.

 

When play resumed, field umpire Jason Hutchings moved behind home plate. Taking his place in the field were a pair of pitchers -- Brandon Todd of the Grasshoppers and Adam Jorgenson of the Tourists.

 

Yes, this is standard operating procedure.

 

"This isn't as unusual as you may think it is, especially in leagues with a two-umpire system," said Justin Klemm, the executive director of the Professional Baseball Umpires Corporation (PBUC). "Should one umpire become ill or injured, the other umpire can use his discretion and select a player from each team to work the bases."

Do all the minor leagues use two umpire systems?

I'm sure it's not easy to find umpires (or afford them) at that level, so it's not too surprising. But, still, cool story nonetheless. Definitely not something you see every day.