For all the grief that we give umpires, it’s still important to remember that they’re tasked with an awfully difficult job. They have to accurately call balls and strikes on pitches with more movement and velocity than ever before. That also means putting themselves at risk of getting struck by those pitches (along with foul balls).
Thankfully for umpire Chris Segal, he had Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim around to protect him.
During the ninth inning of the Rangers’ 2-1 win and series sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies, Heim set up outside for a 2-1 pitch from Will Smith. That pitch, though, missed the spot and caught the heart of the plate. If not for Heim’s quick adjustment, that missed spot would have been a disaster for Segal.
Texas Rangers catcher @Jonah_heim6 saves umpire Chris Segal from absolute disaster. Perhaps a greater save than the one provided by Will Smith. #mlb #baseball #jonahheim pic.twitter.com/SERDXrW7Uu
— Mark Jackson (@morningnewsteam) April 3, 2023
I mean, just look where that pitch was going. Yikes.
Best of all, the broadcast mics picked up Segal saying, “Thank you for catching that.”
Heim should be expecting a “thank you” card or something in the mail from Segal. That really could have been bad. Smith would force a game-ending ground out on the next pitch too.
