Umpire Todd Tichenor stumbled, but recovered in time to run back home and make a call at the plate
The job of the home-plate umpire goes beyond judging the strike zone. In addition to making safe/out calls at the plate, he is occasionally also asked to keep an eye on certain hits in the infield, as the respective umpires have to keep an eye on plays at their bases when occupied.
But what happens when an umpire has to make both of these calls on the same play? During the Dodgers' 7-5 win over the Cubs on Wednesday night, home-plate umpire Todd Tichenor showed that it can get tricky.
With
Since the play was slow to develop and Wood's throw briefly trickled away, Happ made a run for home. That forced Tichenor to backtrack so that he could make the call. He did so, but not without some difficulty:
Give credit to Tichenor for keeping his eye on the play and making the accurate safe call despite the fall! That kind of concentration is easier said than done.
Tichenor and Dodgers catcher