Hunter Wendelstedt was forced to leave the game.

We often make jokes on this website at the expense of umpires. As long as human umpires roam the infield, there is bound to be human error.

In an age where every call is dissected at incremental levels, umpires have become household names.

This includes Hunter Wendelstedt, who was the first base umpire in Minnesota for the Twins vs Mets game on Wednesday afternoon.

With Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor at the plate, Wendelstedt was struck by a foul ball on the first-base line.

Wendelstedt obviously had both eyes on the game at hand, but little time to react to the ball off Taylor’s bat, which was a screamer right at him.

Wendelstedt went down immediately, and Mets first base coach Antoan Richardson called for help. Taylor winced in the batters box and struggled to maintain focus the rest of his at-bat.

Warning: The replay below is graphic.

Scary moment in Minnesota as @MLB Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt took a line drive off his temple 😳🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/vrcVnsKjC8

— Mike Lawrence (@AwesemYo) April 16, 2025

Hunter Wendelstedt update: First base umpire leaves Mets-Twins

Thankfully, Wendelstedt was able to walk off the field on his own, rather than needing a stretcher of any sort. Mets fans unfortunately were quick to point out that Wendelstedt blew a call in the previous inning, including the New York Post.

However, that is neither here nor there.

Wendelstedt’s safety is far more important than a baseball game.

Wendelstedt has been an MLB umpire for 25 seasons. He comes from a family of umpires, as his father, Harry, Wendelstedt, was an umpire for 30 years in the big leagues.

As a result of Wendelstedt leaving the game, the crew adjusted their formation around the infield, pivoting to a three-umpire alignment.