Umpire Gets Hit from Behind by Wild Aroldis Chapman Warm-Up Pitch

On Sunday night, umpire Ron Kulpa found out what it feels like to get hit by an Aroldis Chapman pitch.

It was a painful experience, to say the least.

The Cincinnati Reds flamethrower was warming up in the top of the ninth inning of Sunday night's game against the Chicago Cubs in case a save opportunity arose. With the bullpens at Wrigley Field in foul territory, there is always a chance for the unexpected when a reliever is getting loose.

In this case, a Chapman pitch was a little too wild for the bullpen catcher to handle, and the ball skipped away and drilled Kulpa from behind.

Or, as Kulpa put it, the ball "smoked" him.

"Smoked" is probably the best way to put it. After all, Chapman is the hardest thrower in baseball. According to FanGraphs, the southpaw is averaging 99.5 mph on his fastball this season.

Fortunately, Kulpa was able to shake it off and stay in the game.

Oddly enough, this is the second time in as many seasons that the Cincinnati bullpen has been involved in a rogue warm-up throw. Last year, an errant throw by Jumbo Diaz made its way onto the field from the bullpen in Cleveland and caused confusion during a play.

In other words, Reds relievers need to be in an enclosed bullpen when they warm up.

[MLB.com]