Berliner Tageblatt - Japan baseball mulls punishments for dangerous swings after umpire hit

Umpire Takuto Kawakami was behind home plate during a game in Tokyo on April 16 when slugger Jose Osuna swung his bat, which flew out of his hands and struck the left side of Kawakami's head.

The 30-year-old fell to the ground and was rushed to hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and was placed in intensive care.

Reports on Friday said he still had not regained consciousness and was still undergoing treatment.

The Asahi Shimbun and other media said Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) is considering a rule to warn or eject players from games if they swing their bats in a dangerous manner.

The proposal is set to be raised at an executive meeting with all 12 NPB clubs on Monday and could be implemented before the end of the current season.

NPB did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.

Venezuelan batter Osuna, who plays for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, apologised after his bat struck Kawakami.

"I'm very sorry about what happened today when my bat hit the main umpire. I hope he's well, I'm really sorry," he wrote in a post on X soon after.

Two days after the incident, NPB implemented a rule requiring all umpires to wear helmets.

Kawakami was wearing a face protection mask with a baseball cap underneath.

P.Anderson--BTB