Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies hit a foul ball into pretty much the worst place you can hit a foul ball on Wednesday.
In the fifth inning of a 3-1 win over the San Francisco Giants, Albies bounced a foul ball into his own dugout, where the ball made direct contact with the groin of Braves manager Brian Snitker. Fortunately, the 68-year-old seemed OK, even cracking a smile after the impact.
The Braves broadcast booth of Brandon Gaudin and C.J. Nitkowski at least had some fun with the moment, once they realized what had just happened:
“Ooh, look out. That hit Brian Snitker. He’s OK, but that bounced right into his belly … Oh, no. Not on the belly. Never mind. That’s a different kind of belly.”
“Belt buckle. Hopefully.”
“Does a manager wear a cup?”
Snitker threw out a playful “next question” after being asked if he was alright after the game, before saying, “I told Ozzie I took his best ball.”
Outside of that one swing, it was a very good game for the Braves. Starting pitcher Chris Sale continued a strong first half with six innings, three hits allowed, one earned run and nine strikeouts, while the bullpen combined for three innings of one-run ball.
Adam Duvall and Austin Riley provided all the runs Atlanta needed with one RBI double each, with Duvall’s being part of a three-hit day. The win improves the Braves’ record to 47-37, which puts them in the top NL wild-card position and nine games back from the first-place Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.