Photographer Darren Georgia was struck with what is being called the ‘worst first pitch ever’ during the Royals and White Sox game that took place on May 28. Georgia was positioned near the mound to capture the ceremonial pitch, but the toss didn’t go as anticipated — instead of travelling to the catcher, the ball ended up bouncing off the photographer’s lens hood.
The ceremonial pitch was thrown by an unnamed White Sox employee, according to White Sox Talk, which shared a brief interview with Georgia. According to the photographer, both he and his camera gear survived the unanticipated contact without injury or damage. As well, Georgia successfully captured an image of the pitch seconds before the ball made contact with his camera.
Life comes at you pretty fast. pic.twitter.com/ySGgmqSc1n
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 29, 2019
This isn’t the first time a sports photographer has been hit while photographing a game. Last year, for example, Olympic skier Lara Gut collided with photographer Sean Haffey after one of her skis struck a gate.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)