Umpire released from hospital after suffering concussion
April 23, 2009 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greensboro Grasshoppers News Release
GREENSBORO - South Atlantic League umpire Koyu Inoue was treated for a concussion and released from a local hospital after being hit in the head with a foul ball during a Greensboro Grasshoppers game Thursday night.
"All I remember is I got hit, that's about it," Inoue said after he returned to the umpires' locker room.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Greensboro's Jeremy Synan fouled off a pitch by Asheville's Parker Frazier. It went straight back and struck Inoue, the home plate umpire, in the head.
He dropped to the ground immediately. Trainers from both teams rushed to his aid and were joined by Emergency Medical Technicians at the stadium. An ambulance was summoned and Inoue, with his head stabilized, was taken to the hospital.
Inoue couldn't remember where the ball hit him.
"I have no idea, it happened so quick," he said. "I just checked my mask (in the locker room) but I have no idea where I got hit. I'm OK now, but this is my third concussion."
He said the last one occurred in April of 2008 and he wasn't released to resume umpiring until January of this year.
The game was delayed for 47 minutes while Inoue was attended to. When it resumed, base umpire Jason Hutchings moved behind the plate. Following protocol, each team selected one player - pitcher Brandon Todd for Greensboro and pitcher Adam Jorgenson for Asheville - to make the calls on the bases the remainder of the game.
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