MLB umpire calls balls and strikes from behind mound
An MLB umpire made an adjustment on the fly after the home-plate ump had to get medical attention. (MLB.com)
A seemingly run-of-the-mill spring training game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Milwaukee Brewers turned unusual when an injury forced a veteran MLB umpire to call balls and strikes from behind the pitcher's mound.
When home plate umpire Seth Buckminster was struck on the left hand by a pitch that deflected off Albert Pujols in the top of the first inning, he was forced to leave the field for treatment while another umpire, Anthony Johnson, changed into Buckminster's gear.
In to avoid delaying a spring training game, umpires Tim McClelland and Jim Joyce decided to cover all of the bases themselves. The veterans accomplished this by stationing Joyce at first base and McClelland taking the unusual position of calling balls and strikes from behind the pitcher's mound.
Johnson drew applause when he ran back onto the field and behind the plate, ending the unique experiment three batters into the bottom of the first.
