A scary scenario occurred in the New York Yankees-Colorado Rockies game at Yankee Stadium Sunday. Yankees star Giancarlo Stanton broke his bat while connecting on a hit, and a piece of the broken bat accidentally hit the home plate umpire in the neck.

Home plate umpire Nick Mahrley went down after the incident, and kneeled at home plate while medical staff took a look at him. The umpire was then carted off the field and replaced at home by a crew chief, per ESPN.

The incident occurred in the bottom of the fifth inning, with the Yankees leading 4-3. New York had two runners on base at the time, and Stanton was at the plate. The count was even at 1 apiece.

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Stanton connected on a pitch from Rockies hurler Austin Gomber, and sent it into the outfield for a base hit. The bat broke, and a large piece flew backward and into the throat of the home plate umpire Mahrley. The impact also made a loud thunking sound that could be heard in the television broadcast. The piece of broken bat flew under the umpire's mask, which caused the injury.

Yankees fans hope the umpire is able to make a speedy recovery. Mahrley became a full-time MLB umpire before the 2023 season, per ESPN. The official worked nearly 500 games as a callup umpire before that.

The New York game Sunday also featured a slew of home runs from Yankees players. Aaron Judge hit two blasts in the game for the Bronx Bombers. Judge now has 51 home runs on the season, and has posted at least 50 home runs in three seasons. Only four other MLB players have ever accomplished that feat, including Yankee legend Babe Ruth.

The Yankees went on to defeat the Rockies on Sunday, 10-3. New York holds a slim lead in the AL East standings.