Umpire Nick Mahrley carted off in a neck brace at Yankees recreation

Baseball umpire Nick Mahrley was carted off in a neck brace in shocking scenes at Yankee Stadium on Sunday after Giancarlo Stanton’s broken bat hit him in the back of the head.

Stanton’s bat splintered when he hit the ball but it only broke in two at the end of his swing, before it struck plate umpire Mahrley on the side of the face and knocked his grill to the floor.

Replays showed the bat appeared to strike him in the side of the head and the neck.

Mahrley initially tried to get back up to watch the play unfold but dropped back to the ground and after a lengthy medical stoppage, was put in a neck brace and carted off the field to applause from around Yankee Stadium.

The game was delayed for about 16 minutes in the bottom of the fifth inning between the New York Yankees and Colorado Rockies.

Nick Mahrley was carted off in a neck brace in shocking scenes at Yankee Stadium

Mahrley got a standing ovation as he was carted off the field amid major concern

Yankees hitter Giancarlo Stanton’s bat broke and flew into the umpire’s face on his backswing

The game on Sunday was stopped for around 16 minutes so Mahrley could be helped

When play resumed, crew chief Marvin Hudson took over behind the plate. Second base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt moved from second base to first base.

The 41-year-old Mahrley worked 473 games as a callup umpire until becoming a full-time umpire before last season.

The Rockies tweeted: ‘Sending our best to Umpire Nick Mahrley.’ 

The Yankees were leading 4-3 at the time of the incident, with Aaron Judge hitting his 50th home run of the season in the first inning.