A Major League Baseball umpire was allegedly robbed and assaulted in Philadelphia on April 9, per CBS News Philadelphia. Brock Ballou was among two victims impacted by separate robberies on the same day, with each occurring within 30 minutes of the other.
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According to the police, the suspect "approached Ballou from behind in the 1600 block of Walnut Street, stole Ballou's phone while the umpire was looking at directions and then ran off."
"The suspect approached the male and snatched his cellphone out of his hands," Capt. Jason Smith told CBS News Philadelphia. "The victim went chasing after the male, at which time they got involved in a physical altercation at 16th and Walnut."
According to investigators who spoke with CBS News, Ballou received multiple punches to the head upon trying to retrieve his phone.
"They ended up on the ground, at which time the victim struck his head, causing injury," Smith said. "The male continued his assault, violently punching him."
Fortunately, Ballou's injuries were not serious, despite the nature of the altercation. Another twist of good fortune also saw Ballou receive his phone back, as someone on the street returned the device to him later that day.
Brock Ballou Was Straight Back To Work the Following Day
Despite his ordeal, Brock Ballou was back to work the following day. He was in Philadelphia to umpire the Phillies vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend. He was on first base during the April 12 matchup between the two baseball teams. The following night, on April 13, Ballou was working behind home plate.
The MLB has declined to issue a comment on the situation when contacted by CBS News.
Ballou has been an umpire for the MLB since 2022.
Brock Ballou Has Found Himself in Weird Situations Before
This wasn't the first time Ballou had found himself in a weird situation. According to an article published by MiLB.com, Ballou was traveling to a game in the Carolina league when an RV lost control in front of him and Cody Clark.
"[The RV] started losing control," Ballou said at the time. "Cody said, 'It's gonna flip over, and once it does we'll get [the passengers] out.' It's amazing what happened, but on this stretch of highway there's a guardrail for about half a mile. Luckily they swerved into that guardrail."
"We ran to the RV, but the door was jammed," Ballou continued. "Luckily enough, two detectives were traveling behind us. They were out of their jurisdiction but they pulled over with us. There was an elderly couple inside the RV; the gentleman seemed OK and his wife was in the back."
Fortunately, no one was hurt during the incident. Now, though, Ballou has two strange stories to tell from his umpire career. And who knows, by the time all is said and done, it could have many more.
