*NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick Breaks Hand In Celebrity Softball Game, Keeps Playing!

Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC was totally Pete Rose‘d in the middle of a celebrity softball game … getting leveled at home plate and breaking his hand in the process — but somehow, the dude kept playing through the injury!!

TMZ is told … the musician was one of several big names invited to participate in the Rock ‘N Jock fundraiser for Folds of Honor in Nashville on Monday — and at one point in the friendly competition, CK proved just how tough boy bands can be!!

The moment went down in the third inning … when local radio host Jeremy Loper rounded third base and headed for home.

Kirkpatrick was protecting the plate, but Loper was out for blood (quite literally) … pummeling his opponent as he tried to earn a run.

In the clip of the aftermath, Kirkpatrick is shown hugging Loper to make sure he knew there were no hard feelings … but it’s clear the singer can feel a bit of pain when he daps up another dude — ’cause he quickly pulls his right hand back to his side.

As for Loper, he showed off his own issues — with both his knees oozing with blood as a result of the play.

We’re told Kirkpatrick initially thought his hand was just sore, so he toughed it out and played the rest of the game … but when the pain lingered a bit, he got checked out by a doc — and sure enough, he busted his paw.

Despite the injury, it looked like a successful night — raising $408,000 for military families … with names like Deandre Hopkins, Taylor Lewan, Charles Esten and Ross Chastain getting involved in the fun.

Naturally, there was also a moment where Kirkpatrick hopped on the mic and gave the whole stadium a rendition of “Bye, Bye, Bye” … so he really was putting it all out there for his team!!