Umpire Ron Kulpa leaves Red Sox-White Sox matchup after taking foul ball to the mask
Umpire Ron Kulpa left the Chicago White Sox’s win over the Boston Red Sox early on Sunday afternoon after he took a foul ball right to the face.
Kulpa was behind the plate to start Chicago’s 3-2 win over Boston at Fenway Park. In the fourth inning, however, White Sox third baseman Jake Burger fouled a ball that sailed directly into Kulpa’s mask — which sent him falling right into the dirt.
Umpire masks save lives pic.twitter.com/uvwypL07xB
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 8, 2022
Trainers quickly rushed out to help Kulpa, who was clearly out of it. He eventually stood up and walked off the field on his own.
Kulpa was replaced behind the plate by first base umpire Marty Foster, and the game then resumed after about a 20-minute delay with a three-man crew.
Chicago picked up its sixth straight win on Sunday, thanks largely to a huge two run double from Jose Abreu in the third inning. The White Sox swept their three-game series in Boston, and now sit above .500 for the first time since the opening days of the season.