Fan behind home plate at PNC Park hit in head with foul ball
She was walking to her seat in the front row with Starlin Castro batting and he fouled it straight behind him to the backstop net, which gave just as the woman came by. She collapsed to the ground but is reported to be OK.
By
Dave Brown
•
1 min read
A woman walking to her seat behind home plate at PNC Park was struck in the head with a foul ball in the top of the second inning Monday night. Off the bat of Starlin Castro, the ball hit the protective backstop net and bounced back onto the field, but the woman was close enough on the grandstand side that, when the net gave from the force of the ball, she was struck on the left side of her skull, above and a little to the right of her ear.
The game between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirateswas delayed 23 minutes while medical personnel attended to the woman, who was carried out on a stretcher. Reports say she was conscious, and a friend attending the game with her signaled she was OK.
Woman hit in head with Castro's foul ball taken from field. Appears to be conscious. Friend next to her gives thumbs up to crowd.
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) April 21, 2015
A good sign, certainly. As was this:
#Pirates update on injured fan: She was "conscious and alert at the time of transport, graciously thanking her caregivers." Good news.
— Bill Brink (@BrinkPG) April 21, 2015
There's video of it happening, but some viewers will find it disturbing:
MLB.com also posted this video, for perhaps a clearer view (if you need one).
It looks like the ball just hit her head clean, as if there were no net (or as if the ball broke the net), but it didn't. It's there. Watch for the ball bouncing back. It's probably a good thing her head was turned the way it was. If she had been facing the action, it's doubtful she could have reacted in time, and would have been hit in the face or temple.
The Pirates acknowledged the incident:
A scary moment here in the 2nd as a fan is hit with a foul ball. Our thoughts and prayers are with her tonight.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 21, 2015
It seems obvious the Pirates need to either tighten the net so it won't give as much or convert that part of it into a chain-link fence. It's also been suggested that fans shouldn't walk into aisles or along rows during the action. Not a bad point, but the net is supposed to take care of the area where the woman was hit. It's obviously not foolproof.
