Teen umpire at center of baseball brawl honored at MLB game
A young umpire who officiated a youth baseball game that ended in a brawl gets a show of support from MLB umpires at a Colorado Rockies game.
An MLB umpiring crew went to bat over the weekend for a 13-year-old boy who saw adults brawl as he umpired a game for 7-year-olds.
The crew was working the Colorado Rockies game Sunday when they invited Josh Cordova onto the field. They also presented him with a new chest protector.
Viral video captured the nasty brawl which erupted at a June 15 youth baseball game that Josh was umpiring in Colorado. Josh said the fighting started after he issued a warning to the adults on both sides for cursing and the coaches got in his face.
Josh Cordova, left, a 13-year-old baseball umpire from Denver, joins Major League Baseball umpire Chris Guccione, who is from Salida, Colo., on the diamond at Coors Field before the Colorado Rockies host the Los Angeles Dodgers in a baseball game Sunday, June 30, 2019, in Denver. Guccione invited the teen and his family to the game after the young man, who was officiating a youth baseball game that ended in a brawl with parents. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
“When I saw the story I was shocked and I was saddened and I wanted to reach out,” Crew member Chris Guccione said, KUSA-TV reported. “Yeah, I've never witnessed anything like that. I've never seen anything like that. Yeah, when I was Josh's age there was a few screams and disagreements from the parents in the stands. But, nothing, [like] what he experienced."
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He and the other umps told Josh not to let the brawl interfere with his dreams of becoming a big league ump someday.
“I think I'm gonna continue umpiring for a while,” Josh said, according to the station. “And hopefully, [I’ll] make it [as a] professional like he is,” referring to Guccione.
Thirteen-year-old Josh Cordova, left, of Denver, heads on the diamond with home plate umpire Cory Blaser before the Colorado Rockies host the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 30, 2019, in Denver. The young man was officiating a youth baseball game when a brawl broke out among adults in the nearby suburb of Lakewood, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Eleven adults and a 16-year-old were issued summonses for disorderly conduct as a result of the brawl. All have appearances in court at a later date.
“These coaches and parents, unhappy with a baseball game involving 7-year-olds and a 13-year-old umpire, took over the field and began assaulting each other,” Lakewood Police said.
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The 7-year-olds had their season come to an abrupt end as their remaining games were canceled by league officials.
Josh had a message for those idled young players Sunday, CBS 4 Denver reported.
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“I don’t want them to have the idea that baseball is like that, I want them to have the idea that baseball is a great game and learn to love the game just like I have,” he said.
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