SEATTLE -- Logan Gilbert literally wore one on Wednesday afternoon.
The Mariners’ ace corralled one of the most bizarre comebackers in recent memory when absorbing a 107.8 mph liner from Carlos Cortes during the first inning.
In his jersey.
The ball screamed back up the middle, quite literally into the middle of Gilbert’s jersey, where it got lodged between the buttons.
From there, Gilbert was still sorting things out because the play remained live, yet he wasn’t sure where the ball had dropped. Hop-scotching on the mound, he searched around in confusion before realizing it was still stuck in the polyester.
Once the dust settled -- and despite the spectacular effort -- Cortes was credited with a hit and awarded first base.
The umpires immediately called time to stop play once they realized the ball had gotten stuck, in accordance with the MLB Umpire Manual's Rule Interpretations, which say that a batted or thrown ball going inside a player or coach's uniform is deemed out of play. At that point, it's up to the umpire's discretion to place the runners.
That also explains why the runner on third base, Nick Kurtz, stayed put, and the runner on first base, Shea Langeliers, advanced to second. A’s manager Mark Kotsay was seen suggesting to umpires that Kurtz should’ve been allowed to advance home for a run, but that is where the “umpire’s judgment” came into play.
Each of those runners did go on to score later in the inning, which was partly why Gilbert and the Mariners weren’t exactly laughing this one off. That, and the fact that the first -- and most obvious -- question was whether he was OK.
While the umpires were conferring, Gilbert was examined by Mariners head athletic trainer Kyle Torgerson and manager Dan Wilson but remained in the game. He then gave up a sacrifice fly to Tyler Soderstrom in the next at-bat and a two-out single to Jeff McNeil before escaping the frame.
The play was reminiscent of when a ball got lodged in Yadier Molina's chest protector in 2017. He was just as confused as Gilbert before finding it smack in the middle of his torso.