Seton Hall outfielder Justin Ford will miss the remainder of the 2026 college baseball season. He suffered a gnarly leg injury during his third at-bat of the season-opener.
It is not a sight for queasy stomachs.
The horrible sequence of events led to a unique application of college baseball rules. What happens when a player cannot complete his home run trot due to injury?
Seton Hall outfielder Justin Ford suffered an injury during the college baseball season-opener.
Ford played in 17 games last season and three games as a freshman. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior earned a spot in the starting lineup for the season-opener against Boston College in Puerto Rico.
He started the year with a strikeout in the bottom of the first inning. He walked in his second at-bat during the third inning. His third at-bat during the fifth inning was both a great success and a disaster.
The Pirates trailed the Eagles by a score of 3-2. They had one runner on base.
Ford stepped into the box with two outs and turned on the first pitch he saw. It went sailing over the fence in left field for a two-run home run. There was never a doubt. Mashed.
Although Ford’s dinger gave Seton Hall the lead, his celebration cost him the rest of his third season. He broke his leg in gruesome fashion while running the bases. The announcers were at a loss for words.
WARNING! DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO IF YOU ARE WEAK IN THE STOMACH:
Oh my god…. Poor Seton Hall 🫣🫣 pic.twitter.com/1FcKWxWbFT
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) February 14, 2026
I am not a medical expert, but Justin Ford broke his leg. I have to wonder whether there was already an undiagnosed hairline fracture because his bone gave out with such ease. It was gut-wrenching. We are all hoping for a full and quick recovery.
What happens next?
Ford was unable to continue his trot around the bases. Obviously.
The medical team immediately reported to the scene and he was transported to the nearest hospital.
But what about the game? Does the run count?
The broadcast announcers were wrong. It did not remain a tie game.
Per the Rule 6-1a, a home run becomes a dead ball where runners can advance. A substitution can be made any time during a dead ball. The substitute can then finish out the home run trot for the injured player, per Rule 5-5c. The player who hit the home run does not need to be the one to touch all four bases.
Thus, once Justin Ford was helped off of the field, Seton Hall subbed him out of the game. The sub was then allowed to touch second base, third base and home plate on Ford’s behalf to score the run.
Unfortunately, the Pirates could not hold their lead and lost.