Alcides Escobar Went Down After Taking A Pick-Off Throw Directly To The Nuts

Some boys may wonder why their parents insist on them wearing a cup to play baseball. They probably think they’re good enough in the field to never miss a short hop and would never turn that way into a pitch, so it’s just a nuisance.

To those young men, I would like to direct you to Nationals shortstop Alcides Escobar as your cautionary tale for the evening. Escobar found himself on first base in the top of the fourth inning, when Pirates pitcher J.T. Brubaker decided to keep him honest with a throw over to the bag. Escobar, having not strayed far off the base simply took a long stride over, but an errant throw by Brubaker eluded the mitt of first basemen Yoshitomo Tsutsugo and hit Escobar square in the beans.

I mean that thing catches him clean and sends him down to the infield dirt in a heap. Adding insult to injury is the fact that had it not hit him, he would’ve been able to take off and swipe second base but instead he was down and rolling in pain. The best part might be the Nationals first base coach grabbing at his own crotch in sympathy pain for his shortstop.

Happily, he was able to shake it off fairly quickly and had a laugh with Tsutsugo about the mishap, but this is why parents insist on a cup, because you never know when disaster will strike.