Ex-Yankees player suffers bizarre dugout injury while playing in Japan

Aug 14, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Yankees hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

One former New York Yankees player sounds ready to audition for “The Three Stooges.”

According to a report this week by Yahoo! Japan, ex-Yankee Tyler Austin, who is now playing in Japan for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), suffered an all-time bizarre injury during a game Tuesday against the Hansin Tigers.

Austin, per a rough Google translation, was thrown out in the top of the seventh inning trying to tag up from third base. His uniform reportedly dirtied thanks to his head-first slide into the plate, Austin retreated to the dugout to change his uniform. But Austin ended up hitting his head on the dugout ceiling while changing. He was then removed from the game before the defensive half of the inning as a precaution.

The 33-year-old Austin, a first baseman and outfielder, began his MLB career with the Yankees in 2016 and also later played for the Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, and Milwaukee Brewers. He left America following the 2019 season though and has been playing in Japan for Yokohama ever since, even earning an NPB All-Star nod this year.

Regardless though of if you are in America or in Japan, those dugouts can be really pesky. A few years ago, another professional baseball player had to miss a start thanks to a slip-and-fall in the dugout.

H/T Baseball Reddit