Originally deemed flu-like symptoms, Brian O'Nora's reason for departing the Phillies-Mets game in the bottom of the first inning was
inaccurately reported as : "the press box said that O'Nora swallowed his chew" before MLB Public Relations
set the record straight and upgraded the initial report of flu-like symptoms: "Umpire Brian O'Nora left Fri.'s PHI-NYM game due to serious medical condition. Despite many reports, he does NOT use any tobacco products."
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| Umpire Brian O'Nora |
Though discouraged by MLB, dipping and chewing tobacco are still authorized for use in professional baseball, though many players, coaches and umpires have replaced the practice with chewing gum.
UPDATED: This story initially cited erroneous reports from NBC Sports and Yahoo! Sports alleging O'Nora's use of tobacco products. As announced by MLB_PR, those claims were false.
Swallowing chah has been known to cause esophageal irritation and induce nausea and vomiting.
There was a nine-minute delay as umpire Adrian Johnson exited to the dressing room to don the plate gear; O'Nora did not return.
Video:
O'Nora runs off the field in the first, Johnson summoned to replace him at home (NYM)
